


The Unintended

by Tonicon1231



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: ABO Dynamic Alteration, Advanced Technology, Alpha Bruce Wayne, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Anal Sex, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Batfamily Dynamics (DCU), Blood and Injury, Brainwashing, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Eye Trauma, Family Bonding, Fate & Destiny, Feral Behavior, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Minor Character Death, Mpreg, Omega Dick Grayson, Oral Sex, Soulmates, True Mates, Underage Flirting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:13:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 49
Words: 276,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22119202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tonicon1231/pseuds/Tonicon1231
Summary: Dick Grayson is an assassin sent to kill the infamous Bruce Wayne. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Slade Wilson, Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake/Jason Todd
Comments: 856
Kudos: 1200





	1. The 1st Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> **This is a Brudick focused story.**
> 
> **I'm not going to go that deep into JayTim's relationship but they will have their little moments here and there so I thought I'd put their tag just in case.**
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Dick was hopeless at the art of seduction. That's why when he was tasked with missions such as these, he used his pretty face and apparel to his advantage. Dick looked at himself in the mirror once more, running his fingers through his fluffy hair, then straightened his clothes. He let his loose blouse hang off his shoulder a bit then unhooked a few buttons, showing off a bit of his chest. He didn't bother messing with his pants. They were already so tight on his ass he didn't need to worry about them.

Dick took a deep breath, promptly going over the mission in his head. 

_Assassinate Bruce Wayne._

He took one last look in the mirror before heading out the bathroom toward the spellbinding music. 

Dick moved silently about the club, letting his presence seize the elegant atmosphere. He provided a lazy displacement with his posterior and swayed his hips confidently. The feeling was sensual as a few people regarded him; at once, he delivered a well-crafted sight, but he kept his pheromones in check. Dick could not risk letting the whole club know he was an unmated omega. 

The club was high class; anyone with enough money, respect, and status could get in. Still, an unmated omega walking through a club filled with mostly alpha’s was bound to draw unwanted attention. Dick didn’t desire any of it, though he appreciated the few gazes thrown his way, here and there.

Dick stopped at a bar stool that remained the furthest away from crowd huddling in the middle of the club. He caught the attention of the bartender and ordered a simple negroni before turning around to face the wide room. He saw people of all kinds; alphas, betas, and omegas alike. They conversed and danced together, sharing the intimacies that Dick never once experienced himself. Nor would he ever.

He was an assassin. A shadow. A killer of the night. And had been since he was a child. 

Dick knew of nothing else except for the missions assigned to him by the clan leader and the different ways of silently ending a person’s life. He knew nothing of contentment nor pleasure, for he was in a state of indifference and had never been intimate with anyone. He made a vow not to.

The bartender came back with his drink, and Dick left him a hefty tip before walking away. He took a sip, loving the warm smooth taste as it slid down his throat. Dick sidestepped about the edges of the room, trying his best to stay discrete. He continued taking sips of his drink while eyeing the people around him, hoping to spot his target soon. 

Bruce Wayne was his target. The prince of Gotham and owner of the biggest multinational company known as Wayne Enterprises. When Dick received his order to assassinate the following, he found himself visiting the Wayne Tower. It was hard to miss, as it stood well above every other building in the city. Dick had a sense of euphoria when he took the building tour; above all else, he somehow felt drawn to it. Like some sort of unseeable force was compelling him forward. He had no way to explain these feelings so he left the tour early and made his way back to his temporary apartment. 

When he arrived, he still couldn’t figure out why he felt that way. Did Bruce Wayne have some sort of narcotic gas running through the building’s pipelines? It was a far fetched idea but an idea none the less. Dick let go of the thought and focused back on the task at hand.

Just then, the club lights dimmed and the music slowed, changing the ambiance entirely. More people gathered on the dance floor and began moving in fluid motions to the deep base of the music. Dick drank the last of his booze, placing it on an empty table before suddenly feeling that familiar unseeable allure. 

“Care to dance?” A voice whispered in his ear. Dick stiffened but shivered despite his worry and reluctance to do so. Who was this man and how had he not noticed he was standing behind him before? Dick turned around and cursed inwardly, damning the lights for being so low that he couldn’t make out the person’s face.

“Well?” The man held out his hand and Dick stared at it. For some reason, he felt compelled to take it but in doing so, he would miss the opportunity to spot Bruce Wayne. Dick gulped as he felt his hand moving impulsively to grab a hold of the stranger’s hand. He knew he shouldn’t be doing this nor was there any reason as to why he felt this way; regardless, he let the man pull him forward.

Dick knew something felt right the moment he was in the stranger’s arms. He experienced a sort of _‘click’ --_ as in everything suddenly felt perfect. For that reason, Dick let a sigh escape his lips and his body naturally flow along with the music. The man moved with expertise, using his arms to pivot Dick around so that his back was against his chest. Dick huffed as he suffered through the stunning contact. His body felt heavy, making it hard to sway against the man (the _alpha_ in fact). Dick realized this when the man leaned down to scent his neck. The omega gasped right away but even that did nothing to cease their cavort. 

“Mm.” Dick hummed and leaned back further into the alpha’s chest. His head fell back against the alpha’s shoulder and that’s when he heard it, the most gorgeous chuckle ever. He unconsciously parted his lips and panted softly against the man’s chin. He was losing himself in the heat of the moment and swayed his hips with a cadence that was so sluggish yet reflexive. Unfortunately, Dick became less and less aware of his surroundings as he let these inconclusive feelings take over. Besides his mind becoming foggy, there was a peculiar smell that enclosed all of his senses. 

"Mm," Dick hummed again before turning around and draping himself on the person closest to him. He wanted to be near the origin of the aroma and quickly, for he was suddenly feeling extremely hot and… _wet._

“I’ve got you,” The alpha whispered in his ear and Dick had but all forgotten about the mission. “I followed your scent and I knew I’d find you here... _my mate_.” He spoke again, this time a little more possessively. 

Dick hadn’t registered what the man said from being too roused by the scent that encased him. The alpha’s hands slid down his waist and rested on his hips, making Dick feel small and docile. 

_No_ , Dick thought, _what was he doing? He needed to control himself._

The alpha growled when Dick started to pull away and yanked him right back where he was. Dick sighed against the man’s chest yet again forgetting his reason for pulling away in the first place.

The alpha scented him again. “You smell so damn good.” 

Dick couldn't help notice an identical infatuation with the fact that he also thought the man smelled good. “Your scent is strong.” The alpha said as he lightly sniffed him. “You’re going into heat. People are starting to notice,” the man spoke softly.

 _Heat?_ Dick considered the prospect with a slight repudiation.

“I will take us somewhere more private,” The alpha spoke again.

 _Private?_ Dick thought as he felt his body being lifted from the ground then he was floating. How could he experience a sense of heaviness and lightheadedness at the same time? Dick didn’t know. Actually, he no longer cared. All he wanted was to palliate his mind and give in to the pleasure of his desires.

~*~

Dick felt weightless in the man’s arms. He felt as if he were drifting away from his sanity. He no longer understood his purpose for being wherever he once was, for wherever this man was taking him, he would go willingly.

The man spoke, this time to someone else; in which case, Dick slowly opened his eyes. Once again, he was faced with the man’s shoulder and sharp jawline. 

“If not a large suite, then a king-size bed will do.” He said to whoever he was talking to.

Dick frowned as he weakly grabbed the alpha’s collar, trying to force the man’s attention onto him. The man did just that by looking down at the omega with a soft smile. Dick blinked slowly, not being sure who he was looking at through his fuzzy sight but still he felt suspicion nudging at the back of his mind. Dick felt as if he’d seen this man before.

“Here’s your key card, sir.” A woman’s voice rang through Dick’s ears and that’s when he smelt another omega. As a result, he pulled himself flush against the alpha’s chest, then looked over at the other omega in the room. She was a tall blond woman and even though she and the alpha barely made any contact, Dick felt threatened.

“ _Mine_ ,” Dick uttered with a scowl, not questioning why he said it.

She simply smiled, bringing her hand up to give his alpha the key card. At that, Dick growled tenaciously, yanking his alpha’s arm away from her. She looked startled with her mouth agape.

“Shh, it’s alright.” His alpha said in his ear. “I’m just going to grab the key card.”

Dick, in spite of himself, made an effort to keep still as his alpha grabbed the card and apologized to the woman. Finally, they started to move, and thankfully, it was away from her. Dick, momentarily, questioned his actions.

 _Why had he been so defensive and what possessed him to claim this alpha as his?_

He hadn’t even heard the man’s name yet. Even in this delirious state, he was sure he would remember the man’s name and at least get to say it, but Dick digressed. He simply focused on holding the man close with his arms around the alpha’s neck and his head laying on his chest. 

But _no…_ this wasn’t- _something was wrong_. Why was he even here? 

Dick groaned softly as the invisible pull between them drowned out his thoughts. He needn’t think about anything except for this alpha; _his alpha._

Dick felt himself being placed on something soft; a bed, he deducted when he hit the pillows behind his head. But something was missing. His alpha was no longer touching him. He quickly sat up and despite his dizziness, he tried to climb off the bed and toward that alluring smell. 

His alpha chuckled. “Wait one moment, I’m right here.” 

Dick whimpered after hearing his alpha’s voice so far away. “Mm… alpha…” He whined weakly, still determined to go to where he was. Before his feet could touch the floor though, he felt his body being engulfed by that previous warmth.

“I’m not going anywhere, Dick.”

Dick stiffened at the sound of his name. It sounded nothing like the people that knew his private name. It sounded foreign, wrong, and yet he found himself swooning at the ring of it. But still, even as he felt the man’s lips dip close to touch his own, the feelings of doubt didn’t go away. 

_Where was he previously and how had he ended up here?_

The kiss was chaste but enough to revive the rational part of Dick’s mind. He blinked sluggishly, finding that he was faced with the man’s lips. He pulled the alpha down by his shoulders, angling to the right so that their lips connected once more. They were soft and so very warm. They moved tenderly against his, dragging faint sighs from his own. 

“Alpha…” He said again. 

“Call me Bruce, my love.”

Dick sharply inhaled as he felt Bruce’s hand unbutton his shirt. “Bruce…?” The name escaped his lips then he pronounced it again, “Bruce…” and tried to determine why that name sounded so familiar.

“Dick, you’re going into heat. Let me take care of you.”

“Into… heat?” Dick questioned as he felt his pants being removed. Was that why he felt so heavy and delusional? He’d never been experienced a full heat before because he took suppressants the day after he presented. Then his clan leader forced him to take them as well; all of the assassins had to because we were bound by oath to remain celibate. But how had the suppressors stopped working? 

He felt his body being pushed down on the bed behind him. 

“Let me take care of you,” Bruce repeated. 

No… no… something about this is wrong. Dick forced himself to turn away from… _Bruce._

_...Bruce Wayne._

All at once, everything came back to him. Dick widened his eyes and sat up quickly, ignoring the dizziness and went to grab the dagger from his right pants pocket. However, his pants weren’t there and he was, without a doubt, naked.

Dick gulped and slowly looked up, willing his eyes to focus on the man in front of him. How could he have missed this? The actual Bruce Wayne was sitting in front of him. He frowned at Dick’s sudden reaction, then looked down at where he was touching his upper thigh.

Dick moved quickly while Bruce was distracted, shifting his leg to kick the man off the bed. As soon as he swung his leg, Bruce caught it with less effort than Dick expected. Dick struggled against his hold, trying to yank his leg away, but the alpha was too strong.

“Let go!” Dick tried yanking again only to be pushed further back into the bed. Bruce had Dick’s leg pressed against his own chest while his other hand pinned Dick’s wrist above his head. 

“Calm down, Dick.” Dick felt overwhelmed and angry; angry at himself mostly. What the fuck had he been doing this whole time? Why was he feeling this way? Better yet, why didn’t he mind feeling this way? He knew he needed to complete the mission but he was being weighed down by his own desires. What had Bruce Wayne done to him!?

“Relax, Dick. I’m not going to hurt you.” Bruce leaned forward, pressing his mouth against Dick’s scent glands. Dick shivered, calming down instantly.

“There we go,” Bruce assured him.

“No… no.” Dick shook his head. 

“I know, Dick. It hurts doesn’t it?” Bruce whispered against his ear. “Let me take care of you.”

Dick whimpered, “No…don’t- don’t touch me.”

“You’re in heat Dick.”

Dick shook his head in denial. “Don’t tou-- let go.” He had to kill him! He needed to complete his mission.

“I’m sorry, my love. It’s my fault you’re like this. Us coming in contact has triggered your heat.” Bruce began to kiss up and down Dick’s neck. “But I can’t let you go. Not when I’ve finally found you.”

Dick panted harshly as he attempted one more time at trying to push Bruce off of him. He used all the strength he had, lifting his bottom half off the bed to push upward only to find out he was leaking from below. Dick gasped upon feeling something slick leaking from his hole.

“Wha-” Was he truly in heat? How? “What… what did you do to me?” Dick questioned with a weak whimper.

Bruce pulled away from his neck to look down at the omega. “I found you, Dick. I searched for you for so many years and I’ve finally found you.” Bruce paused, releasing his hold on Dick’s leg to wipe the tears spilling from the omega’s eyes. “It’s alright, you’re safe now. I found you, my other half… my mate.”


	2. DS Strikes again

_Mate…_

_Mate…_

Dick’s mind screamed the words over and over again, for he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Actually, he did; he believed it all. He’d never felt so jubilantly removed from his mind even as it threw him into the arms of Bruce Wayne, _his mate_. The man he was supposed to kill was his mate!

“Shit,” Dick replied in just, parallel to his conflicting thoughts. He knew he couldn’t kill him. He couldn’t even fathom the thought of killing him. 

_Not like this… not now._

But he couldn’t stay here either. The clan would eventually come looking for him if he didn’t inform them of his success soon. He was always successful. Dick has never missed a target nor had he ever been caught. Except, for now, that is.

“Dick,” Bruce spoke against his lips, his face completely stolid. He hadn’t got a good look at his face before but he assumed Bruce was just as delirious as he was. “Let me relieve you.”

Dick shook his head. “No. Don’t-- Don’t touch me.” He said though his mind and body were screaming the exact opposite. He lingered close to Bruce’s lips, knowing that he should move away but he was paralyzed.

"I won't hurt you." Bruce pushed back his fluffy bangs and frowned at his mixed signals. "Trust me."

"No…” Dick shuddered as the alpha's breath floated across his lips. If he leaned any closer, they would kiss. _No, he couldn’t._ Dick pushed at the alpha’s chest and pulled back as much as his mind would let him. “Please. Don't touch me."

Bruce’s face remained impassive but Dick could have sworn he saw pain. Had he hurt him with his words? _He didn’t want to. He didn’t mean to._

Just then, Bruce pulled back, giving the shuddering omega more space than he wanted. “Then at least let me provide you with a suppressant.” Bruce stood from the bed, tugging Dick’s hand off of his arm. 

“Alpha,” Dick whined at the loss of contact and wondered why his body was betraying him so. He watched with desperation as Bruce went to retrieve his jacket from the floor. He dug around in one of the pockets and pulled out a small black rectangular case. The alpha opened it and pulled out a tiny silver syringe. Dick had seen these types of suppressors before. They worked instantly but were extremely expensive even for an omega with health care. 

Dick was surprised that Bruce even brought one with him. Didn’t he plan on fucking him? Dick was having a hard time resisting so he knew the alpha was as well but he was still being considerate of Dick’s half-assed rejections.

Bruce walked over to the bed, bent down low, and grabbed Dick’s right arm. “ _Hold still_.”

Dick did as he was told, his body instantly listening to the alpha’s order before he pushed the sharp needle into his arm. Dick hissed from the burning pain that spread through his body. He shifted uncomfortably when the burning feeling grew. 

"It hurts." He whimpered just as Bruce leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Shh, it will be over soon." Bruce's hand on his arm comforted him in the most mysterious ways.

The liquid from the needle burned Dick with some sort of numbing effect. It hurt, for a while longer until the burning pain dissipated completely. Dick felt his body relax against the soft bed, his breathing slow substantially along with that bothersome heavy feeling. Dick sighed with relief, becoming fully aware of his surroundings. 

_He was wet._ The sheets were soaking beneath him. Dick groaned at the prospect of Bruce having seen him in such a state but he also knew that it was completely natural. Though he’s never experienced such a strong heat himself, he’d been taught early on what happens to omegas in heat. 

Bruce rubbed Dick’s cheek with his thumb. “Do you feel better?”

Dick squinted, trying to focus his vision. He’d seen Bruce Wayne before in pictures and on television, but he’d never seen him up close. The alpha was indeed handsome, exceedingly so. His sharp features carved his face perfectly and Dick found that he couldn’t look away from him.

“Dick? Are you alright?”

Dick didn’t look away when he nodded. He was somehow mesmerized by the alpha.

“That’s good.” Bruce sighed. “I was hoping this version of the medicine would work.” Bruce stood and threw away the needle in the trash bin then went to retrieve his crumpled shirt from the floor.

Dick took this chance to sit up and look around the floor for his own clothing. He found them, namely his pants-- which held the dagger-- on the chair next to the bed. Dick leaned over and grabbed them, wincing at the cool air wafting past the wetness on the back of his thighs. He slowly stood up from the bed, feeling the familiar metal through the pocket, before pulling on his pants. He could care less about the dampness of his thighs at this point, the only thing he thought about was how to escape. It was the only thing he could do. Dick didn’t have it in him to kill the man. _He couldn’t…_

“Dick.”

Dick was startled but looked up at Bruce. He gulped as the alpha made his way over to him. Bruce instinctively looked down at his torso and Dick didn’t have to question what he was looking at, for he already knew. _The scars._ They were everywhere on his body. From being stabbed to rigorous training, Dick was a well-rounded assassin.

“How did this happen? Did someone do this to you?” He brought his hand up and touched Dick's chest. The omega shivered at the feel of his warm hand and he almost leaned into it if Bruce hadn't pulled away.

Dick steadied himself and glanced away from Bruce, his eyes once again searching for his shirt. “No. Don’t ask any more questions... please.” 

“Why not?”

“Just... _please_.” Dick practically begged, thanking God that his shirt wasn’t that far away. He quickly grabbed it and slipped his arms through the sleeves, forfeiting the buttons. He felt his pockets again, making sure he had his cellphone. Thankfully he did. 

“Dick?”

Dick sighed as Bruce spoke his name again. This was a difficult situation. As much as he wanted to leave, he couldn’t without giving the alpha some sort of excuse.

“Why are you rushing off?”

Dick quickly glanced up at the frowning man before looking elsewhere. He couldn’t stare at him any longer, otherwise, he’d start feeling that strange unseeable pull again.

_Mate._

His thoughts repeated once more. “Shut up.” He said more to himself than to Bruce, but Bruce wouldn’t know that. In the end, he seemed to take offense to it.

“I’m not letting you run off again. Not this time, Dick.” Bruce started toward him but Dick moved quickly. He instinctively pulled out the dagger from his pants pocket and held up it. 

“S-stay away,” Dick said while slowly backing away toward the door.

Bruce paused and looked down at the small weapon, seeming to take precautions. Dick thought Bruce was through at making attempts to catch him, but he was wrong. Bruce was quick, way faster than Dick could anticipate. The alpha dashed forward and smacked the knife out of his hand, and grabbed a hold of Dicks’s wrist.

Dick hissed at the strength of the alpha. He was strong, strong enough to hold Dick steady with just one hand. Bruce continued to move forward, trapping Dick against the wall. Dick tried to budge his arm, he even tried to kick the man, but nothing worked. That’s when Dick realized, even if he had tried to kill Bruce Wayne, there was no way Dick was strong enough to fight this man in hand to hand combat. Too bad Dick didn’t like to use guns.

“What’s the meaning of this, Dick? Why are you carrying a weapon?”

Dick didn’t answer. It was best to stay silent as to not be compromised. But it was already too late because the alpha, as it would seem, had a good eye. He lifted up Dick’s wrist, taking one look at the small tattooed letters there then looked back at omega. Dick held his breath, watching as Bruce’s eyes darkened with anger.

“DS,” Bruce muttered the name of his clan’s alias without a second thought. Shit, he’d been compromised!

Dick thought of headbutting him, hoping that would be enough to knock him out, but Bruce had already let go. The alpha backed away from Dick then let his alpha pheromones run rampant. Dick choked on the air and fell to the ground. He’d never been surrounded by an alpha’s pheromones so powerful and robust before. Bruce’s pheromones were commanding, authoritative, and Dick felt like he was drowning. Not even the clan leaders could compare to this.

Dick made attempts to keep his eyes open and watch Bruce, but he felt himself already starting to lose consciousness.

“No wonder you were acting strange.” He heard Bruce say as he tried to stay awake. “Now I understand.”

“ _Alpha… mate,_ ” Dick huffed, begging the alpha to let up all while trying to process the word ‘mate’ again for the fourth time that night. Dick panted, feeling his side finally hit the floor. Then suddenly Bruce was close to him, whispering in his ear.

“I don’t want to do this, Dick. Not to you. But I have no other choice.” He felt Bruce gently rub a hand across his cheek. “Rest, for now, my love.”

Dick panted harshly, finally letting his eyes close completely. The last thing he heard was Bruce murmur a soft ‘forgive me’ before seeing complete darkness.

~*~

Bruce watched his mate go unconscious before culminating his pheromones. He didn’t want to use his pheromones to dominate the omega, especially his mate, but he had to assess the situation differently.

Bruce sighed and bent down to pick up the omega, bringing him over to the couch. Though it wasn’t the most viable place to put him, the bed was still soaking wet from earlier so this had to do. He made sure Dick was comfortable enough before going to grab his cellphone from the dresser. He watched the omega through the mirror after pressing the number 1 for speed dial.

The line rang twice before Alfred finally answered.

“Master Bruce? It is unusual for you to be calling this late.” Bruce looked at the clock, reading 12:40 am.

“Sorry for waking you, Alfred.”

“It’s fine. Did something happen, sir? You sound distraught.” Bruce thought it was so like Alfred to know how he was feeling even when he tried hiding it so well.

“I’m fine, Alfred.”

“Evidently not, sir.”

Bruce shook his head while going to sit down at the foot of the bed. “I need you to pick us up.”

He heard Alfred shuffle around. “Us?”

“Yes,” Was all Bruce responded. He would let Alfred know more about the situation in the car.

“Very well, Master Bruce. I’ll be on my way. Please send the address.”

“Got it.” Bruce hit the ‘end call’ button and let out a breath. He took another look at Dick, wondering what the plan was.

It was clear what he had to do. This was not the first time DS had sent an assassin his way nor would it be the last. He clenched his jaw, patently thinking about his arsenal of weapons at home. He promised himself that he would never touch them again, but who was he kidding? Bruce had been itching to fight and apprehend the unknown leader of DS for years now. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have trained his two and only wards. 

Now that his mate was involved, it became all the more serious. 


	3. Slip and Fall

Dick shot up out of his sleep and panted harshly. 

He quickly looked at his surroundings, immediately knowing he wasn’t in his own bedroom. _Where was he?_ Dick looked around the room a second time, this time taking into account the time of day. The sunlight coming from behind the curtains was bright, so it must have been either early or late afternoon.

On instinct, Dick yanked his arm forward but was astonished to see that he wasn’t restrained. He moved his legs and found that they weren’t either.

 _Why wasn’t he tied up?_ Dick moved with poise and pulled the blankets off his body, instantly looking down at his attire. He was dressed in soft cotton shorts and a long t-shirt. _Who had dressed him?_ Dick ignored the thought then looked over the edge of the bed, further studying his surroundings. When he found nothing suspicious, Dick let his bare feet hit the floor. He shivered at the cool paneling and wanted to put on socks immediately but not right now. Not until he figured out what sort of situation he was in.

Quickly making his way over to the door, Dick expected it to be locked. _He really did_ , considering the fact that he wasn’t restrained at all. Nevertheless, he wasn’t surprised to find out that it was unlocked.

Dick opened the door slowly and was happy it didn’t creak. He stared at the wall straight ahead before poking his head outside, quickly looking left and right finding nothing and no one in sight. Nothing except some ancient-looking decorations. Little by little, Dick wandered out the door, using small steps to scale the long hallway. He looked to the left, finding that the hallway led to a dead-end so he went the other way. 

The more he walked, the more he found himself lost. Every time he made it down a hallway, it split into two; he’d run into a dead-end then he’d have to turn around and go the opposite way. Gradually his feet started to warm up due to all the walking as he tirelessly made his way through this massive mansion. _More like a maze,_ Dick mused. Thankfully, he came upon a set of stairs. They were grand and ran down to the next level with a half spiral.

Dick paused, trying to see where the steps led before he descended them. He didn’t see a front door in sight; instead, they seemed to branch off into some sort of massive foyer. Dick took his chances and thought that since he hadn’t run into anyone thus far, there shouldn’t be anyone from now on. The house was extra quiet so Dick let his guard down a little.

He casually walked down the stairs, staring straight ahead at the oncoming foyer. Once he made it down, he walked further into the room, looking around at the robust furniture. It was like a mix of modern and antique and Dick found it quite comfortable looking. He would enjoy it if he wasn’t trying to escape. He’d also enjoy being in Bruce’s arms if he could. Dick paused at the thought of his alpha, for he had just realized the scent that surrounded the whole room. Actually the whole house.

Just then, the sound of glass breaking from afar ceased his thoughts.

_Shit, someone was here._

Dick quickly looked around for the front door, but it was nowhere in sight. Instead, he heard a peal of curses and another sound of glass breaking in the distance. Dick looked straight ahead at where the sound was coming from and started to back away slowly.

“...damn... Tim!” The voice from afar said. Dick continued backing away, not noticing a massive object behind him, or the oncoming footsteps.

He yelped and fell backward against an empty suit of full knight body armor, making a loud echo throughout the house.

“Hey, Tim!” The voice grew closer until its owner came around the corner. The man was quick to stop and stare at Dick who was surrounded by the armor decoration and rubbing his aching arm. Even from this distance, Dick could scent that this man was an Alpha.

“What Jason!” Another voice responded, instead its owner came from the stairwell Dick had once ventured. This man looked younger than the alpha, he didn’t even notice Dick at first. “Hey, Jason, we have a problem. I think Bruce’s mate esca-”

The boy paused when the helmet of the armor decided now of all times to fall to the floor with a loud clang, swiveling until the noise stopped completely.

“Oh… there he is.” The boy named Tim smirked at Dick for some reason. _Who were these people?_

“Yup, it looks like the little birdie is out of his cage,” Jason said after folding his arms. “I thought he was gonna be out a little longer?”

“So did I,” Tim responded. “Guess this is better. Bruce is coming home soon anyway.”

 _Bruce?_ Dick frowned. _Did they know Bruce? This was Bruce’s house?_

That was all Dick needed to know before he bolted like a mad man. Forget his aching arm and bare feet, he was dead set on getting the hell out of this house. 

Dick dashed straight toward the man named Jason. To Dick’s surprise, Jason pulled a stance. He looked about ready to fight, but Dick was ready for it. Jason moved first by feigning to throw a punch but instead, aiming to kick Dick’s leg. Dick smoothly dodged his boot before swiftly grabbing the latter’s leg.

“Shit.” Jason spat as he yanked his leg back. The strength Jason used to pull his leg caused him to hit the wall behind him. The two paused to catch there breath, studying each other with intent. “I gotta give it to you omega, you’re hella fast, man.”

Before Dick could respond, a hand grabbed his arm from behind. S _hit, the other kid could fight too!?_ _Just who the hell were these guys?_

“Stand down,” Tim said just as Jason grabbed Dick’s other arm. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

“Hell, I was.” Jason mused.

“Shut up Jason. You know Bruce would kill you if--”

Dick dropped to the ground, hearing his knees pop in so many ways, but he used gravity to his advantage. The two winced as their arms were roughly tugged downward. Once Dick was close enough to the floor, he kicked Jason’s feet from under him then yanked his arm free from Tim. 

“What the fu-” Was all Jason could say before he face-planted into the ground. 

Dick didn’t look back as he sprinted down the hallway. He came across another area that looked like a living room, but he didn’t have enough time to look around at where to go because he heard footsteps running after him.

“Hey wait!” 

Dick recognized the voice; it was Tim. Dick quickly turned again, running to a closed-door. He pushed it and it swung open giving him access to the kitchen. He stepped forward then-- 

“Fuck!” Dick screeched, finally looking down at the floor to find broken glass everywhere. Usually, he would study his surroundings more thoroughly, but he’d been running in a blind panic. Dick took one more step and cried out before falling to the floor. His feet were bleeding and now his knees. 

He could no longer run.

“Hey! Are you okay?” Tim swung open the door and gasped at what he saw. “Wha-!”

“Where the fuck is that little shit?” Jason said as he pushed past Tim but stopped when he saw what had happened. “Ouch. That’s got to hurt”

Tim thankfully had shoes and easily walked on the glass toward Dick “Where did this glass come from!?” He yelled back at Jason. 

“It was an accident okay? I was trying to reach for a bowl on the top shelf, but I missed by a long shot.”

“You think! Bruce is going to kill us if he finds out what happened, you idiot!” 

Tim bent do to help, the omega up, but Dick slapped his hand away.

“Don’t. I need to leave!”

“Wha-? What’s your problem?” Tim said flabbergasted as he tried to help Dick again, but his hands were slapped away.

“You two are!” 

“Us? We’re just trying to help you,” Tim replied.

“I don’t need your help,” Dick said as he attempted to stand, only to scrape his hands against smaller glass pieces.

“Stop moving, you’re going to hurt yourself even more.”

“Just let him do whatever, Tim. He obviously doesn’t want our help.”

“Why are you trying to run away?” Tim indulged Dick again. “Remember Bruce? Your mate? He brought you here late last night.”

Dick frowned. He remembered Bruce, of course, he did. How could he forget such a man? He found himself wanting to be in the man's arms again but that was a problem. If he stayed here with Bruce, he wouldn’t want to leave him. He simply couldn’t abandon his clan without facing the consequences. 

Jason scoffed. “Remember what Bruce said? He’s apart of _‘that’_ clan.”

Tim looked down at Dick and cringed at his bloody feet and knees. “Bruce said that they weren’t serious so I don’t care about all that.”

Why would Bruce tell these two about the clan, Dick thought. They were obviously younger than him, especially Tim so what was the purpose?

“Well, it seems like he,” Jason pointed to Dick, “cares a lot. Otherwise, he’d let us help him out.”

“What are you trying to get at, Jason?”

“Tch, Tim, he’s been hypnotized. Y’know, that Stockholm syndrome stuff.”

Tim looked back at Jason then back to Dick, contemplating the idea. “As stupid as you are, I think you’re on to something here.”

Dick almost laughed at ridiculous that sounded, then again...

“Oh my.” They all turned their heads to Alfred who had just entered the kitchen from the back door. He stared at the three with wide eyes, disregarding the bags of groceries that fell from his hand to the ground. “What in God’s name happened here!?” 

Both Jason and Tim winced at the anger in Alfred’s voice. It was rare that they ever got to hear him raise his voice, let alone get angry.

“Jason did it!” Tim pointed at the alpha.

“Hey! You some type of snitch now?”

Tim scoffed. “If you hadn’t been such an idiot, then none of this would have happened,” Tim said as he pushed some of the glass away from Dick’s body.

“What the hell? Am I the one who ran around the house and started attacking people for no random reason?” He gestured toward Dick.

“I’m talking about the glass, you idiot!”

“Like I said, it was an accident!”

“What was an accident?” 

Dick knew that voice. He knew that voice from anywhere. It was deep and calming enough to where Dick felt drawn to it. Dick whimpered on impulse. Having his alpha so close while he was hurting, helped ease his mind a bit. Dick knew that Bruce was going to stop the pain.

“What accident?” Dick couldn’t see Bruce, because he was still standing a little ways away from the door that Jason was holding open.

“Um… hey Bruce.” Jason tried to close the door but Tim got his attention.

“Dick is hurt, Bruce! In here!”

Dick wanted to run from this feeling, but now he couldn’t. If he saw Bruce again, he’d want to abandon everything; he’d develop feelings for him.

“Move Jason!” Bruce finally came into view and scowled. With a growl, he swiftly walked across the broken glass, lifting the omega up and into his arms.

Dick wept at the pain but relaxed in his mate’s arms. “Alpha.” 

“It’s alright Dick, I have you.”

Dick couldn’t control his thoughts or his voice once again. “It hurts.”

“I know,” Bruce responded. “Tim! Get the car, we’re going to the hospital.”

“On it!” Tim ran out of the room.

Jason stepped forward. “Hey Bruce, man, I’m really sor-”

“You had something to do with this, Jason?”

“Uhh… maybe?” He smiled sheepishly as Bruce’s powerful pheromones made Jason back down. “Sorry… Bruce.”

“You and I will talk about this later, Jason,” Bruce growled. “Alfred will handle you for now.” He yelled before walking out of the room.


	4. Disarray

Dick flinched when the doctor first touched his foot with the surgical tweezers after finishing his knees. His breath shook, wanting something to relieve the pain but knew that nothing of the sort existed for this situation. He’s been hurt before, stabbed even, and he’d been by himself then. He treated those wounds himself without having the right supplies, hence the bad scarring everywhere. They hurt, just like the glass in his feet and knees but everything felt different somehow. Being around his alpha fooled his mind into thinking that he _needed_ to be comforted. It was a yearning that should have drove Dick insane, instead, he couldn’t get enough of it. Furthermore, he could sense Bruce’s feelings brushing at the edges of his mind. They were diminished enough to separate them from his own feelings, but they were still there. Could Bruce feel his emotions as well?

Dick looked over at Bruce watching Dr. Dundee remove the small shards of glass from his feet. He noticed his eyebrow twitch every time a piece was removed-- parallel to Dick’s flinching-- even though they weren’t touching. He would continue to look at Bruce if it weren’t for Tim gazing at him from the corner of the room. 

Unlike Bruce, he seemed to be studying Dick with an icy stare. Granted, Dick did try to fight them, ran away, and denied his help so it was understandable. Even now, Dick felt like running away. There was one thing though that Dick noticed about Tim other than his frigid stare-- the teenager didn’t have a scent. From their first meeting at the mansion to the car ride and finally, in this small room, he couldn’t smell anything. He looked old enough to have presented and yet, he remained odor-free but nonetheless inquisitive. Could he be one of the rare defects?

“If I may ask, Mr. Wayne. How did this happen?” Dr. Dundee inquired after moving to Dick’s right foot.

“I wasn’t there to witness.” Bruce motioned to Tim with a vacant expression showing off a tattoo on the back of his neck that Dick just now realized was there. Before he turned to have the collar of his shirt to cover it once, he noticed that it was shaped like a… bat. 

Tim sighed yet again drawing Dick’s attention to him before he looked at the doctor. “After I finished my homework and everything, I left my room to grab a snack from the kitchen. When I passed by the guest room, I noticed that the door was open and your mate was missing so I went looking for him...” Tim continued the story, telling Bruce how Dick ran away and how Jason accidentally broke the glass in the kitchen. 

“Jason and I need to have a talk,” Bruce muttered. 

Tim chuckled, “I’m sure Alfred is giving him a really hard one right now. Not even Jason can go against Alfred.”

“You may be right,” Bruce admitted. Not even _he_ could speak against Alfred on the rare occasion he wanted to. 

“You should have your ward apologize properly, Mr. Wayne.” Dr. Dundee straightened his glasses, removing a big piece of glass from Dick’s foot.

Dick made a strained noise and Bruce winced again, as the omega’s distress flared. He grabbed Dick’s hand and gently rubbed his palm, extending his soothing alpha pheromones across the room. 

“Don’t worry, I will have Jason apologize,” Bruce assured.

“You should spank him.” The alpha narrowed his eyes at Tim’s suggestion and almost dismissed the idea until he heard a small chuckle from beside him. They all looked toward Dick who covered his smile with the back of his hand.

“Aha! So you can laugh!” Tim exclaimed. “I thought you were a puppet.”

“Tim,” Bruce warned.

Tim shrugged, “What?”

“I wish that’s all I was…” Dick’s voice trembled as he spoke. He actually hadn’t meant to respond but the words just slipped out of him. He felt Bruce squeeze his hand but he didn’t want to retort so he pulled it away. “Are you done, doctor,” Dick asked just to change the subject.

“Not yet, sir. I’ve removed all the glass but you still need some stitching.”

“Stitching?” Dick sat up carefully. 

“When is the next time he’ll be able to walk?” Bruce piped in, noticing Dick’s worry.

“Hm, considering it’s both your feet and knees then about... 3 weeks at the most.”

“3 weeks…” Dick lamented with a frown. “I can’t wait that long.”

“Y’know?” Tim spoke up. “I’m having a hard time believing he’s your mate, Bruce. He acts like he doesn’t want to be anywhere near you.”

Dick looked at Tim. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“What is it that I don’t understand?”

“That’s enough, Tim.” Bruce scolded.

“No Bruce, I wanna know? Why are you so dead set on running away, huh? What are you so afraid of?”

“Enough Tim,” Bruce repeated.

Everyone grew silent, while Dr. Dundee went to go retrieve the stitching materials.

Dick watched the door close behind the man before looking back at Tim. It seems as though he already knew about the clan so Dick thought there was no harm in telling him. “... I’ll be hunted.” The omega said barely above a whisper.

“What?” Tim answered and Bruce grimaced.

“As you know, I’m apart of a clan of assassins.”

Tim looked to Bruce who refused to look up from the floor. He’d heard about the clan scarcely, but Bruce never made a big deal out of it so he never looked further into it. Actually, Bruce wouldn’t let him look into it. Now Tim would have too, especially since Dick had been sent to kill Bruce specifically.

“This clan… do you even know why you were sent after Bruce?” Tim asked.

“No,” Dick answered simply. “There’s no need to know the background of a person we are trying to kill.” Dick didn’t mention that being emotionally stilted helped with that.

“Did they know you were Bruce’s mate? Is that why they sent you?” 

“Tim--”

Tim held up a hand to Bruce before he spoke. “Bruce, I have a right to know especially if this affects our family.” Tim crossed his arms. “You’ve kept this quiet long enough.”

Dick glanced at Bruce when he didn’t respond to Tim, so he answered. “No... no one did. If he had, he would have never sent me.”

“Who’s he?” 

Dick opened his mouth but no words came out. 

“Well?” Tim pushed for an answer but it was to no avail, Dick turned away from them and stared out the window. “Oh I see, you’d rather go back to that clan than stay with your mate.”

“Tim!” Bruce stood, grabbing Tim’s arm.

“Bruce you can’t seriously defend his actions. I mean he attacked us for heaven’s sake.” Tim argued with him as he tried to remove his arm from Bruce’s hold.

“I’ll be killed.” Both Tim and Bruce stopped struggling and looked over at Dick.

“I haven’t come back to report so that means I’ve either been compromised or dead. I’m sure they already know I’m not dead, so the clan will come looking for me.” Dick looked at Bruce and Tim with a serious expression. “If they find you with me, you’ll be killed as well.”

“You think they can kill us so easily, considering how Bruce escaped you without a hitch? And you being the first assassin is saying a lot in terms of--”

“Four, actually,” Bruce cut in. “Dick is the fourth one they’ve sent after me.”

“What? And you didn’t tell me?” Tim sighed throwing his hands up dramatically. “Of course you didn’t tell me.”

“There was no need for you to know.”

Tim yanked his arm away from Bruce. “God, Bruce. You know I hate it when you hide things from me and Jason.”

“I did it to keep you two safe.” Bruce frowned. “You’re both irrational. I couldn’t risk you doing anything behind my back.” 

Tim scoffed and said nothing more, knowing damn well that’s exactly what he and Jason would have done. 

“I didn’t know about the other three.” Dick fidgeted on the bed, not knowing why he was telling them all this information. “We do not discuss our missions with one another. If a clan member doesn’t return then that means they were killed by the clan leader after being compromised.”

“You call yourselves a clan and yet you don’t work together?” Tim inquired with peaked interest.

Dick looked at him then spoke with a flat voice. “If you hadn’t noticed, we kill for a living. Relations between us mean nothing.” Dick repeated the words his clan leader had said throughout his whole life. He felt Bruce squeeze his hand, his pheromones suddenly behemoth to his facial expression. Dick looked into his eyes, finding there a domineering need to control the situation.

“You’re not going back, Dick.” The alpha’s voice was abrasive with conviction, making Dick feel stupid for what he had said.

The omega took a deep breath as a crease appeared between his brow. “Under different circumstances, Bruce, we would-- this would--” He couldn’t say it without hoping it would all come true. _He wanted to be with Bruce_. He wanted him so damn bad, it hurt. But they couldn't be together not like this; not while running away from his clan. Dick knows very well how the leader thinks. He knew they wouldn't stop until he was dead. 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t risk this... this sort of relationship when…” Dick exhaled, not sure what to say. “I don’t know, I just know this thing between us cannot happen.”

Things were quiet once again when the doctor came back inside and began stitching his foot. Bruce didn’t know what to think. He was… he’d just been rejected for the second time by his mate. 

He knew Dick could sense his feelings that’s why he wasn’t surprised to hear the omega utter, “I’m sorry… I’m sorry Bruce.”

“Dr. Dundee, can I have the Tv remote? Tim asked, already looking around the room for it.

“It’s on the table by the door.” Tim retrieved the remote then pointed it toward the Tv hanging in the corner of the room. “Bruce… I think it's time for you to come out of retirement.” 

Tim flipped through the different channels before stopping on the news channel. He blasted the sound, forcing Dick to look up even when he was currently getting stitches. He stared at Dick while he watched the news, waiting for him to realize. 

_The symbols_.

The bat symbol that represented Gotham was plastered on the backdrop of the news anchors set. The symbols were also plastered all around the mansion. On the walls, the carpet, the decorations, even the broken plates. The Wayne family had passed it down for generations and the rest of Gotham-- simply knowing that the illustrious Wayne family represented the symbol-- decided to use it to symbolize Gotham itself. And it was a damn shame too, that no one knew what the symbol meant; _what it truly represented._

Dick slowly looked away from the Tv, instantly glancing at the side of Tim’s neck where the symbol lay there for all the world to see. He glanced at the doctor who had just come up to his knees to finish stitching. From this angle he saw it too, the same symbol was plastered on his neck.

“We’ll discuss that later, Tim.” Dick watched Bruce turned to face his ward, flashing that same symbol he’d seen before. The symbol everyone knew to represent Gotham but that’s not it… that… _how hadn’t he noticed it before?_ Dick’s been around long enough to see this symbol on multiple people’s necks, for it was similar to their clan’s own branding. They marked every one of their clan member’s wrists with a DS and the Gotham Bat symbol was marked on...

Dick widened his eyes in shock…

“I think I can speak on Bruce’s behave here on welcoming you to our own clan, called the Dark Knight,” Tim said with a grin. Bruce only grunted and the doctor chuckled. “Soon, I hope we can see eye to eye and have some sort of… _relations_ between us.” Tim mocked Dick’s last words to him with a sneer.

Dick stared at Tim and gulped. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Now it all made sense-- why he had been sent after Bruce in the first place.

“I’m afraid not. It seems like we have a common enemy now.” Tim’s grin faded. “I should inform Jason.” He said to Bruce, who only nodded. “I’ll be waiting in the car.” With that, he walked out of the room.

“I haven’t seen Tim like that in a while, Mr. Wayne.” Dr. Dundee cut the last of the stitching string and threw it into the trash bin. 

“He’s only sixteen… he shouldn’t be worried about such things.” Bruce sighed.

“That’s right, he should be enjoying school and time with his friends.” Dr. Dundee chuckled despite Bruce’s obvious regret. “But you were the one who trained him. And ever since I’ve known him, Jason too, I know that they love you and only want to help.” 

Dr. Dundee clapped Bruce on the back, his sentiments weighing on Bruce’s mind. Though he didn’t respond, he knew the doctor understood. “I’ll be right back with a wheelchair then you two can leave.

Dick let the word ‘love’ echo through his mind. He was still baffled that such a clan existed and now they brought love into the mix? The omega couldn’t comprehend that at all. He could barely understand his own feelings toward his alpha. “What is there for me now?” The omega muttered as he watched the doctor leave the room.

Bruce’s hand grasped his once more, pulling the omega to his chest. Dick reacted to the movement, hands coming up to lay on Bruce’s chest. From here, he could feel his alpha’s heartbeat and a grumble spill past his lips. “I won’t be letting you go, Dick.”

“But--”

“You will stay with me,” Bruce said again, this time with a growl. 

Dick felt cornered then, unused to the feeling of his scent glands wavering at the command of his alpha. He slowly reached up, touching the spot that throbbed idly with uncertainty. _Was he ready to stay with Bruce?_ Yes, he wanted to be near him but to what extent? To join his clan and defeat his own? To love him; to bear his children? Dick quacked internally at the thought of having children. He definitely wasn’t ready for that and wasn’t sure if he’d ever be.

A warm palm touched Dick’s hand that was hovering over his scent glands, causing him to snap out of his thoughts. He looked up at Bruce expressing his concern in the slightest of manners his countenance could offer. It was the same look he gave him last night before he was given the suppressant. It spoke volumes and gave light to the fact that Bruce was just as concerned as he was. And yet, he was dead set on keeping him near.

“Stay with me.” He repeated. Though it sounded like an order, Dick was sure the alpha was leaving the option open-ended this time.

“... If I do then” Dick established, his tone tremulous and serious at the moment. “No one… no one can ever know that I’m your mate… not until all of this is over.”

Bruce nodded, mouth slanting over Dick’s head to kiss his temple. Dick closed his eyes and let out a dense breath, knowing exactly what he was getting into. He felt strange for abandoning his clan. He didn’t even know if this was what he truly wanted. That life is all he’s ever known, having been taken in at the age of ten. It was difficult and monstrous-- a life that he’d been unwilling to live but now Dick was doing something _he_ wanted, at the expense of ruining all their lives. 

“...I’ll stay.” Some tension left the room after those words slipped past Dick’s lips. It was then that Dr. Dundee came in and gave the omega an amusing proposition, either be carried around for three weeks or use a wheelchair. Dick chose the latter, of course, but he would have to be carried regardless, anytime he needed to get on and off the thing. Much to Dick’s worry, Bruce didn’t seem to have a problem with it. Fortunately, Dick didn’t either.

“Thank you, doctor.” Bruce helped Dick onto the wheelchair as carefully as he could.

“Of course, Mr. Wayne.” He looked at Dick. “I’ll see you in three weeks, Dick.” 

The omega nodded and said his thanks before they headed out to the parking garage to go home.


	5. The Wayne Household

As soon as they got back to the mansion Bruce begrudgingly left Dick in the foyer while he directed the perturbed Tim into another room. Dick strained to listen from afar but heard nothing distinguishable to the human ear. What he _could_ hear was the anger in the alpha’s voice due to the gruffness of it and just as Bruce got louder, Jason walked into the room. He folded his arms and stood at the wide opening, dressed down to pajamas.

“Hey.” The alpha said as he looked over Dick's predicament.

“...Hey.”

They paused as the voices grew louder once again. Jason looked back towards the door with narrow eyes before turning back to Dick.

“So I’m just gonna say this now before Bruce gets out here and beats the shit out of me.”

Dick perked a brow as Jason flopped down on the couch in front of him. “Okay?”

“I’m sorry,” Jason announced after releasing a harsh breath. “I’m fucking sorry, okay? I didn’t expect your ass to run into the kitchen like that. So this whole thing...” He gestured toward Dick’s sitting arrangement. “... was my bad--”

They paused again, hearing the door from the next room creak open a bit.

“Hold that thought,” Jason said.

Dick watched Jason look towards the room that Bruce was in before fidgeting with the armrest. It was then that Dick understood what the alpha was trying to do. So Dick complied and waited until Bruce came out of the room with Tim in tow before saying. “None of us could have known what would happen so I’m not angry.”

Bruce heard too as he stopped to look at the two of them. The crease between his brows grew deeper before he told Jason to follow him to the room he just exited. The alpha sighed, grumbling when he walked past Tim and followed Bruce.

“Nice try,” Tim said as he walked further into the foyer. “But Bruce was definitely not going to let him off the hook. Not this time.” He sat on the armrest of the chair Jason was sitting in. Tim stared at Dick for a while, his expression unreadable and the omega was starting to grow restless.

“Is there something you wanted?”

Tim huffed, sliding down the armrest to sit in the chair fully. “Bruce told me to apologize to you.”

“I’m guessing you don’t want to.” Dick knew he was correct when Tim glanced away.

“I don’t because I believe everything I said was true.” The teenager looked down at his lap, contemplating his next words. “But… I can also see that you have a lot on your mind. I mean you’ve only just met us and… yeah...” He tapered off, leaving the room open to the voices coming from a distance.

Dick understood that Tim was only sixteen and seemed to be very concerned about his family’s well being. He was cautious-- immaturely so-- but brave enough to speak against a man who could have very well killed Bruce. Still, this kid didn’t seem to grasp Dick’s situation very well. He wasn’t the one who’d been taken in by a clan of assassins when he was only a kid.

“How about... you apologize to me when you’re actually ready,” Dick spoke calmly and with no malice.

Tim looked at Dick with wide eyes, not sure how to take what he said. “I’m not sure how long that will be.”

“We’re the same then because... I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to stay here.” He watched Tim shift in his seat, looking a bit despondent at the moment, for they both knew what Dick meant.

“I can do that.”

“Truce then?” Something flashed in Dick’s mind then, a flashback similar to this situation; one he experienced with his late father. With a small smile, Dick held up his fist, waiting for Tim to reciprocate the action.

Tim’s eyes flickered to Dick’s hand then back to his eyes filled with frisky confidence. He chewed his lip, slowly returning the fist bump. “...Truce.”

“Sorry to intrude,” Alfred came into the room with all the poise in the world. “But dinner is ready to be served.”

“Good, cause I’m starving.” Tim hopped off the couch, startling Dick as he suddenly pushed his wheelchair. He wheeled his chair to the table before going to the opposite side. Dick fidgeted a bit not used to being served or eating dinner in such a homey setting but when he started eating, all of that changed. It was nothing but a simple chicken alfredo pasta and it tasted like it came straight from heaven.

“It’s good isn’t it?” Tim said overlooking the silence in the room as both of them sat alone at the dinner table. 

“It’s amazing,” Dick said letting a smile grace his face.

“Alfred always makes the best food,” Tim said enthusiastically before digging back in. Dick guessed that a truce with Tim meant getting along even when they were alone which worked well for Dick. He’d decided to stay here and didn’t want any bad blood between him and his mate’s family. 

Dick moaned internally as he ate the last of his pasta, slowly dragging the fork out of his mouth and looked down at the now empty plate. That was the best meal he’d had in years. 

By the time he asked for seconds, Jason and Bruce came back into the dining room. Bruce sat down next to him while Alfred filled both of their plates.

“Thank you,” Dick said as the butler moved to Jason’s plate. 

“Tim,” Bruce said after a while. Both he and Jason looked up at the teenager, watching as he sighed and looked off to the side.

“He already apologized.” Dick was quick to jump to the kid’s defense even if it was a lie. "They both did."

"See?" Jason gestured toward Dick, giving Bruce a pressing look. "He has no problem with us now."

"I want him to feel welcome. From the both of you." Bruce scolded lightly, taking a sip from his cup.

“I feel very welcome, Bruce,” Dick informed after eating the last of his seconds. “The food was good at least.” He mused just as Alfred went around the table and picked up the dirty plates. 

Both Jason and Tim snickered, causing Bruce to clear his throat. “Well, it is Alfred’s cooking.” The alpha agreed.

“Thank you, sir,” Alfred said with a small smile. “And since my food is so good, I would like to inform you that I made a cake for dessert. Would you like some, Master Dick?” 

Dick cringed at the title Alfred placed upon him. “Um, sure.”

“Very well sir.” Dick watched him walk toward the kitchen.

“So… you’re cripple now or what?” Jason said to Dick, clearly having seen him earlier.

“Jason.” Bruce and glared at Jason.

“Hey,” He held his hands up in defense, “I’m just saying. He looks cripple.”

“And aren’t you the one that made him that way?” Tim spoke up. “Huh, Jason? The one who couldn’t reach a bowl from the top cabinet because he has short arms?”

Bruce coughed into his glass of water and Dick could feel that he found it amusing. 

“I’ll fuck you up, Timmy!”

“Try me.” Tim challenged. 

Jason grabbed the back of Tim’s head and yanked it backward, evidently pulling his hair.

Tim hissed, “Fucking-- stop, Jason!” He grabbed his forearm, trying to yank it off.

Dick watched Tim strain, but from the looks of it, the argument wasn’t going to last long. Bruce was up and over their side of the table within seconds, tugging them apart without a hitch. Jason was the only one who fell out of his chair though.

“Shit-- Bruce, what the hell!?” Jason yelled, but Bruce remained impassive.

“You’re not in high school anymore, Jason,” Bruce said as he sat back down. “You’re nineteen years old, act like it.”

“He should’ve been held back.” Tim teased with a smirk.

“ _He was_ ,” Bruce said, not so subtly whispering.

Dick snorted, watching Jason drag himself up from the ground just as Alfred walked out with a chocolate cake. They ate in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Dick had never really felt… comfortable in so long. Not around anyone for the past fifteen years. _This feeling was nice._

In that spirit, Dick glanced at Bruce who finishing his water. What if he hadn’t been picked up by DS and instead by Bruce? _Would it be any different? Maybe?_ Dick relented the idea of having become apart of Bruce’s family early on. No matter how much he wished things had happened that way, time is irreversible. He couldn’t love Bruce being like this…

“Dick?”

“Huh?” Dick blinked and came back to the present at the sound of Bruce’s voice. He looked away, having been caught staring at his mate. 

“What’s wrong?”

Dick shook his head, flushing because everyone was focused on him. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”

“You and me both.” Jason yawned after eating the last piece of his cake.

Tim pushed his chair back and stood up. “Me three.”

“Goodnight Master Jason and Master Tim.”

“Night Alfred.” They said in unison. 

“Dick.” Dick picked at table cloth when Bruce said his name, still embarrassed about getting caught staring.

“As sleeping arrangements go, I’ve had Alfred prepare a room for you.”

Dick glimpsed at the alpha. _Did Bruce think Dick wouldn’t want to sleep with him?_ Well, probably so especially after the hassle Dick went through just to get away. Still, he appreciated the offer but Dick honestly wanted to be closer to Bruce. It was hard to express, but he loved the feeling that bubbled inside his chest when he was near the alpha. And it didn’t help when Bruce was patient and protective plus he was handsome; _very much so_. From the looks of it, Bruce was definitely a family man and Dick had always wanted a family after his parents died. 

_His clan couldn’t ever fill that void… they just made it deeper._

“Is that alright with you, Dick?”

“Yeah, thank you.”

“Of course.” Bruce stood and grabbed the handles of his wheelchair. “I’ll show you where the elevator is.”

When they made it, Dick watched Bruce press floor number two out of the three other buttons lined down the elevator wall. They were undoubtedly on the ground floor and yet there was a button under the first one. Dick relaxed against the chair coming to the conclusion that he needed a tour of the massive house since he was going to be staying here for a while.

“You adopted them right? Jason and Tim?” Dick asked, breaking the silence a little before the elevator dinged on the second floor.

“Yes. When they were ages 6 and 9.” He could sense the sentimental recollection in Bruce’s voice as the doors slid open. “That was a little more than ten years ago now that I think about it.”

“Seeing them now, I’m sure they were sort of difficult, right?” Dick mused, admittedly envious of their brotherly relationship.

Bruce chuckled lightly. “I had Alfred so it wasn’t that hard.” He paused, going around the wheelchair to open the tall door. “Especially with Tim, he was an obedient child.”

“You’re a good man Bruce, despite what the media says about you.” Dick looked around the familiar room, the one he ran out of earlier today. Instead, the bed was remade.

“Well, that’s…” He heard the alpha hesitate as he bent down to latch the safety stops on the wheels “...not all true.”

“It isn’t?”

“Would you believe me if I said that my bouts from the past followed me all the way up until now?”

Dick watched the alpha pull back the blankets, repeatedly checking for Dick’s reaction to his testimony. “I’m not one to judge, Bruce.” _Primarily because of my own past._

Bruce was nice enough to ask him if he needed help getting into bed. Speedily, Dick agreed just so he’d have the chance to touch him. But it was over just as soon as it started, Bruce had already placed him on the bed and pulled back his hands.

The alpha’s pheromones suddenly changed, bringing Dick's attention to Bruce sitting down on the bed next to him. Dick’s skin prickled with the sensitivity of the foreign emotions he’d yet to get used to. They were shame ridden and borderline crumbling the omega’s pleasant mood.

“There won’t be-- anymore...” Bruce’s words were soft, slow, and pensive, pushing Dick to the edge of his wits. He reached out for his alpha’s hand and instinctively held it tight. Bruce wasn’t lying.

“I trust you.” It was the pull again, drawing him forward to comfort the wounded. Dick had to take a deep breath, giving in to the idea that there was no need to run anymore; that he could give in to the feeling. His glands throbbed as if they heard the call too. It was here--his mate was here, right in front of him.

“After spending one day with you, I can tell.” Dick looked down at their hands, rubbing his thumb over the top of it. “You’re a family man.” Dick looked up into his alpha’s eyes. “I find that commendable.” _And attractive._

Bruce hummed, and Dick could feel that he was elated and beholden by his compliment enough to kiss the back of the omega’s hand. “Beautiful.” Dick shuddered as his lips lingered there before the trance broke and Bruce pulled his hand out of reach. It was then that Dick felt somewhat abandoned as he watched the alpha grab something from his pocket.

“If you need anything, use this.” Bruce handed him a cellphone. “It’s my spare until I get you one of your own.”

“You… you trust me with this?”

Bruce frowned at his question. “Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"

"I tried to--”

Dick winced when Bruce touched his face. "Dick, my love." Bruce pulled him into a hug. "That’s over now-- it’s behind us."

“...For now," Dick laughed sheepishly, looking down at the dark sheets. His stomach churned with disgust at his prior lifestyle only being pulled from his thoughts when something warm touched his lips. Dick sighed, feeling his shoulders slump away from the tautness of his stress. Unlike the frigid air around them, the alpha’s lips were warm and tasted sweet and Dick melted further onto the pillows behind him. He brought a hand up, impulsively gripping Bruce’s shirt to twist it between his fingers. He wanted to be closer to the alpha-- chest to chest like they were last night. Too soon though did their mouths part by an inch, hot air escaping between them.

“You’re not the only one who’s done bad things, Dick,” Bruce said, thumbing Dick’s cheek before he stood up. “Get some sleep.”

Dick reluctantly let go of the alpha’s hand, feeling the cold air flow between his spread fingers. _Don’t leave_ … he almost said but decided against it. He needed to think about things, contemplate what was real and what wasn’t. He needed to be serious from now on, for he knew desire would take over his mind soon enough. This soulmate thing was no joke… even when he wasn’t in heat, he wanted the alpha by his side. No words could define this feeling and Dick felt lost because of it.

With those thoughts running through his mind, Dick settled against the bed. “Goodnight, Bruce.”

“Goodnight, Dick.” Bruce left the room and Dick slowly closed his eyes.

_How long will it be before I give myself away to him fully?_


	6. Discovery

**Gotham City**

**Location: Club Roame**

**Time: 15:08 P.m.**

**Status: Omega 21365 [Unable to locate]**

“He’s gone,” Rose spoke through the speaker of her phone after typing in her logs. She glanced out the windows of her car, watching the civilians exit the club she just finished searching through. “There’s no trace of him, father.”

Rose propped a foot on the dashboard, listening to the pending silence on the other end. She waited, hearing a shuffle from the other side, then a beep sounded from her speaker. It was a notification, labeled as multimedia before she clicked on it, showing a miniature map. With no words, she hung up the phone and got out of the car, following the pinpoint on the map.

Rose soon stood in front of a massive hotel somewhat connected to the club and headed inside. The pinpoint mark was angled so she could get a 3D view of its position-- props to their tech team and years of creating the perfect tracker. She walked inside the lobby, passing all the bustle from the front desk and headed to the elevator.

“The twentieth floor,” Rose mumbled as she pressed the button for the top floor. Lamentably, there were many stops on the way but she soon made it, letting the map guide her towards a hotel room. She listened at the door, making sure no one was inside before adeptly looking at the keypad under the doorknob. Very few hotels had them but they did come in handy with a simple shine of a UV light, showing the fingerprinted code as plain as day. When Rose entered, she called her father once more.

“Is this signal his cellphone?” She searched around the room, waiting for him to answer.

“It’s where the signal was last seen.” A deep voice rang from the speaker. “Before the device was cut off.”

“Seems as if someone has been taking precautions.”

“Find any remnants of him in that room and bring it to me.”

“That’s going to be quite difficult, father. The room’s been cleaned.” She spoke as she looked through every dresser drawer, then the bathroom, closet, and finally under the bed. “Looks like I spoke too soon.” Rose cringed as she pushed past small debris of candy wrappers that seemed to have been missed during the cleaning. 

“There are always leftovers, Rose.”

“I see what you mean,” Rose said sarcastically, feeling crumbs touch her palm as she blindly felt around under the bed. _Some four-star hotel this was._ Rose stopped abruptly, feeling something cold touch her palm then pulled it out. She huffed, sitting up on her knees and looked at the silver syringe.

“I found something, father.” She flipped the object around, studying its exterior. “A syringe-- says ‘Surge’ on the barrel.”

“A Suppressor.” Her father said simply.

“Newly created and exceedingly expensive,” Rose commented. “Who knew he would go to such extremes.”

“That’s just it, he wouldn’t.”

“You’re right again, father.” Rose pocketed the syringe and searched the room some more. “We checked his apartment and he’s been taking his basic suppressant pills regularly.” She explained while looking under the nightstand. “He wouldn’t need one this strong unless he went into heat which would be… impossible.”

“Rose.”

“Yes, father?”

“Come back to the base.”

She paused.“Now?”

“I’m gathering some of the members. We need to discuss some things...”

Rose sighed, already walking toward the door. “I’ll be there in fifteen.”

~*1 week later*~

Dick slowly opened his eyes, feeling extremely restless. Lately, he’d been feeling the dread of another night coming around and facing the fact that he had to fall asleep while somehow not being able to. _Insomnia_. He’s had it since he could remember but it’s been worse for the past week and a half… ever since he got here. Dick’s bed was undoubtedly warm and comfortable and yet, the omega found himself tossing and turning all throughout the night with his skin scratching against the soft sheets. Truth be told, Dick was miserable. It's because he’d been too conscious; too aware of the alpha sleeping in the room across the hallway. Sometimes he could hear it, like a whisper as an unseen force called for him but Dick didn’t want to submit to it. _Not yet._

A beep from Dick’s new phone interrupted his thoughts, forcing him to roll over and look at it. The time read 10:20 am and underneath was a message from Tim.

[Tim] _\--- Alfred made breakfast_

Dick smiled at the text. He really loved Alfred and his cooking. Actually, he just loved this place in general. Jason kept him on the edge of his seat by telling him jokes and unbelievable stories about his college friends. Tim was a little reserved but was never out of reach. For the past five days, he’s helped Dick with anything and everything, _especially_ when Bruce was watching. It was sort of a perk that came with their truce.

Dick sighed, rolling over onto his back. A lot of thoughts plagued his mind and most of them weren’t good. It’s been more than a week since he’d been sent out to assassinate Bruce Wayne. He thought the clan would have made their move but nothing has happened thus far, nor has anyone in the house ever brought it up again. Dick figured it was Bruce’s doing. He never explicitly said to him that he’d do something about the clan and it was Tim that welcomed him to the Dark Knight anyhow, so now what?

Granted, Dick couldn’t do anything even if he wanted to because he was still using a wheelchair. His feet were healing nicely, but the doctor recommended that he stay off of them for a full three weeks. Then there was another thing… he hadn’t left this mansion ever since coming back from the hospital. It wasn’t like Dick tried to or even asked, but whenever Dick wanted to move about the house alone, either Jason or Tim followed him. He was actually surprised Tim texted him instead of coming to get him. And when Bruce was home, he wasn’t let out of his sight not until he fell asleep.

“Some trust.” Dick scoffed as he sat up and stretched his muscles. He loved to think that they were protecting his whereabouts which made sense but still, the least they could do was let him know about the plan. He was in on this too, wasn’t he? He was the main reason for all of this.

Pushing the thought aside, Dick texted Tim a quick, ‘I’m up’ before slowly letting himself down on the wheelchair. Thankfully his knees healed way faster than his feet did, making it easier to move around. He headed toward the bathroom and did his whole morning routine, coming to a pause when he got to his dresser drawer. Once again he’d be wearing Jason’s clothes which consisted of mostly t-shirts with distracting logos on them and slightly baggy pants. Usually, he’d wear Tim's pant’s but unfortunately, they were a little bit tight around the ass area-- _not that Bruce minded._ Dick eventually gave in, going with one of Tim’s pants and one of Jason’s t-shirts just for the heck of it.

The omega quickly pulled on his shirt while struggling to put on the tight pants.

“Ugh, forget it.” It usually took Dick a while to put on the pants but today he was impatient. He stood up as slowly as he could, wincing just a bit at the pressure on the balls of his feet and pulled his pants up all the way. He smiled, growing a bit smug, and took a couple of steps away from the wheelchair because his feet felt better; way better.

Walking surprisingly didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would. He cheered inwardly, grabbing his cell phone from the nightstand then slowly headed out the door. Dick avoided the stairs still and took the elevator now feeling a little alone since he wasn’t being escorted. When Dick boarded the elevator, he immediately eyed the very last button, cased in silver like the surrounding walls. He recalled asking Tim about it one day only to be instructed to ask Bruce and when he did he’d been told it was a basement.

One thing that Bruce couldn’t do to him, was lie. It was explicitly unachievable. The omega could tell by the sensations throbbing at the back of his head like a homing device. Regardless of how subtle the feeling had been, he still felt it.

Dick was already interested in knowing as to why the elevator was at the back of the house, hidden in plain sight. He was already curious as to why no one brought up DS or avoided his questions and today... he was anxious to find out.

After a quiet yawn, he pressed the silver button, expecting something to happen-- nothing did. He frowned, pressing it again, a little harder this time as if that were going to change anything-- in a way it did. The almost silent sound of the doors sliding open behind him without warning caused the omega to pull a defensive stance. Dick winced as he pressed down on his feet, expecting some sort of threat but eased off when he observed the new area that looked like another elevator.

Dick raised a brow and looked back at the main elevator door, seeing that it was still closed. He turned back around, weighing his choices. Either go eat breakfast with Wayne family, or explore this uncharted territory. _He chose the latter._

Dick stepped forward, allowing his bare feet to hit the cold surface, hearing the door close behind him. He looked around, feeling a little muddled about what to do next, mainly because there were no buttons. The omega huffed in frustration and leaned against the wall to relieve some of the pressure on his feet. It was then that the luminescent lights eclipsed into complete darkness, leaving a soft blue hue radiating throughout the small space. Dick quickly turned around and analyzed the wall, lined with blue lights and a touch screen keypad, studying its familiar components. 

Dick wasn’t new to this sort of technology but he wasn’t well versed in the art of code-breaking either. He sighed and took a step forward, letting his hands roam over the vast expanse of the wall, looking for any inclusions he could attempt to breakthrough. He knew how rash that decision sounded, but he was sure Bruce wouldn’t allow him inside, otherwise, he wouldn’t have kept Dick in the dark.

_Fingerprint scanner activated._

Hearing the female voice, Dick quickly pulled back and watched the wall light up in different places almost like a tablet. 

_Fingerprint scanner activated._

_Place hand on register point._

Dick watched a luminescent handprint appear on the screen. There was _no way_ he was going to be able to get in, and yet, Dick wanted to try. With his hopes lowered, the omega moved forward and lightly placed his hand on the scanner. He watched the scanner blink bright red before letting his hand fall to the side. He knew it wasn’t going to wor--

_Identity confirmed._

Dick widened his eyes at the voice.

_Access granted. Security has been deactivated._

“Those assholes,” Dick mumbled as he looked down at his hand. _When the hell did they get his fingerprints?_

Dick scoffed as he felt the elevator swiftly descend before it stopped at another door that slowly but surely opened.

.

.

.

Bruce went stiff, dropping his cellphone on the floor, startling both Tim and Jason.

“Bruce, what’s wrong.” Tim stood up and glanced around the room. “What happened?

“Dick’s scent disappeared.” Bruce shot up, quickly walking out of the room.

“What!?” Tim shouted as he and Jason tailed the alarmed alpha.

“Think someone broke in?” Jason muttered giving his surroundings darting glances.

“No, our countermeasures would have informed us,” Bruce said lowly as he ran toward Dick’s room. He slammed open the door and scented the air, relieved that his pheromones were still fresh, doused with repose.

“His wheelchair is still here,” Tim commented, making Jason and Bruce look over. 

“He’s walking?” Jason sauntered over to the hamper and opened the flap. “He changed out of his night clothes too.”

“And he texted me back earlier-- Bruce, you don’t think…” Tim didn’t have to continue for both alphas to understand what he was saying. They all exchanged a quick look before bolting towards the elevator. It was a long trek through the house and the fingerprint scanner before they made it to the surprisingly empty grotto.

“He’s not here,” Jason observed as they walked deeper into the massive area.

“How did he know he could get in?” Tim questioned. “I knew we shouldn’t have taken his fingerprints while he was sleeping.”

“I figured that’s what you guys did.” Dick’s voice echoed through the air. 

They all turned around and looked up at the omega leaning his elbows against the railing on the second floor. 

“I’m guessing you were all going to tell me eventually, otherwise I wouldn’t have access to this place at all.” Dick gave a half-smile as he pivoted, heading for the stairs. “You guys have a nice set up going on here,” Dick said as he gently descended the steps, not once breaking eye contact with his mate. “DS has many bases but none of them are as big as this.” He winced once he touched the ground floor.

“Dick, your injuries.” Bruce moved toward his mate but was stopped short when the omega denied his help.

“I'm fine but I’m disappointed in you Bruce.” Dick eyed the alpha. “You said you trusted me.”

“I do trust you,” Bruce stated firmly.

Dick scoffed. “Then why have I been kept in the dark for the past week?” When Bruce didn’t answer Dick continued. “Do you think I betrayed DS because I wanted to be put on the back burner? That’s not how this works, Bruce.”

“We were going to inform you about everything eventually,” Tim spoke up. “After your injuries healed.”

“You were going to wait three weeks?” Dick said incredulously. “You think DS is going to wait three weeks in order to find me and kill me?”

“We never said that.” Tim defended. “Bruce thought it was best.”

Dick looked to his mate. “You’re going to need my help. Whether you like it or not."

Bruce sighed. "Dick I understand why you’re angry but we will not be rushing into this. We will need to tread lightly."

"Then tell me that; include me, instead of doing things behind my back."

“That’s what we’re always telling him,” Jason said agreed with a nod.

“Thanks for the information, Jason.” Dick gave him a small smile before looking back at his mate. “I’m not really angry, I’m just… annoyed.” Dick watched Bruce slide him a guarded look. It wasn’t saying much but he knew the alpha was conflicted.

The omega sighed inwardly as he stepped closer to the alpha and placed a hand on his chest. As always it was hard and sturdy-- Dick sometimes wondered what he looked like underneath the shirt. His guess was as good as any but he was sure it would be nice to look at. 

“You _will_ include me from now on,” Dick said with a pressing look. “Won’t you, Bruce.” It wasn’t a question nor would it ever be. Dick was not going to become some useless omega, made to be taken care of by his seemingly protective alpha.

“...Yes.” The alpha’s tone sounded unsure but Dick wasn’t going to give him any leeway.

“Good.” Dick pulled his hand away from Bruce’s chest. “And one more thing. I'm going to need some new clothes." Dick dramatically pulled at Jason’s ugly t-shirt before tapping his leg. “As much as these jeans are working for you Bruce, they aren't working for me." The omega gave Bruce a knowing look, seeing the latter gulp. With that established, Dick slowly turned and walked back toward the entrance with Bruce in tow, offering to help him once more.

“I’m fine, Bruce.”

“The doctor said three weeks, Dick.”

“You worry too much.”

“Dick, please…”

Jason and Tim stared wide-eyed at the pair as they disappeared behind the closing door. 

“I’ll never let myself be that easily influenced by an omega.” Jason declared.

“Sure, Jay. You keep saying that.” Tim patted Jason on the shoulder. 

“I’m serious.”

“If he’s anything like Dick, you’re done.” Tim chuckled. “I’ve never seen Bruce like that before.”

“Yeah, he went after him like a little puppy.”

“Well, at least we don’t have to sneak around him any longer.” Tim walked towards one of the computers with a grin.

“You and me both.” Jason followed Tim. "And I thought Bruce was protective before. Seeing him now, it's kind of... bizarre."

“It’s all in the soulbond so he can’t help but feel that way.” Tim sat down and looked down at the keyboard. “It affects a person's whole physiology; their entire reason and rationality only to appease one another. It’s strange but... beautiful... in a way.”

Jason watched his little brother smile. It was melancholy and borderline despondent and if Jason didn’t know him, he would have questioned why. Jason sighed, letting his shoulders slump as he walked over and ruffled Tim’s hair.

“Jason,” Tim moved out of reach. “What the heck.”

“Stop ruining the mood, Timmy.”

“Jason wha--”

“You’re not a defect... you’ll present soon enough.”

They stared at each other, Tim, being the first one to break it when he cracked a smile. “You’re ugly when you’re trying to be sentimental.”

“Appreciate it while it lasts.” Jason huffed and crossed his arms, going rigid when he felt arms wrap around him. Tim was hugging him.

“Thanks, Jay, I needed to hear that.” Tim pulled away offering Jason one last smile before leaving the alpha with muddled thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t thank everyone enough for the kudos and comments. You guys are great! I’m glad you’re enjoying the story!


	7. Shopping Detour

Dick’s expression dulled when he looked down at the black alloy-like collar, dangling from his alpha’s hand. “I’m not wearing that.” He said after a quiet assessment only to clench his teeth when Bruce persisted once more.

“It’s simply a scent blocker, Dick. Nothing more.” Bruce unclasped the latch beside the fingerprint register, situated on the back of the collar, and held it up for Dick to take.

“I don’t care what it is, Bruce. I’m not wearing it.”

Dick moved back until his back hit the door of the short limo they were riding in. Bruce finally agreed to take Dick shopping only in the occurrence that they all remain concealed with some sort of disguise. As for their collective disguises, they wore nothing more than beanies and sunglasses. Dick went the extra mile to get comfortable and abandoned Tim’s tight pants, settling for one of Jason’s baggy basketball shorts. He knew he looked like a homeless person, especially if people knew he was walking next to the infamous Bruce Wayne but he could care less about that at the moment.

“Dick, you understand that we cannot have anyone recognize you while you’re out in public.” Bruce declared softly. “If your information is anything to go by, DS has spies that not even you know the faces of.”

“...I know, it's just…” Dick trailed off and eyed the collar, upper lip curling with disgust. 

Bruce sighed, looking over at his son’s who were seemingly paying attention to their phones. “Tim, Jason. Wait outside the car.” 

Like clockwork, they got out of the car leaving the air filled with Dick’s afflicting pheromones.

“You can’t make me wear it,” Dick said again. “Bruce. I swear if you try and make me wear that--”

“I won’t force you to wear it,” Bruce reassured the uneasy omega. He didn’t quite understand Dick’s reluctance when it came to wearing the collar. It wasn’t uncommon to see an omega wearing one merely for protection and yet, Dick was feeling troubled by it. He was sure it had something to do with the omega’s past; the past that he had yet to talk about. Bruce was patient, however. He strove to never cause his mate any unnecessary pain, even if that meant holding back. 

“We still have to block out your pheromones, Dick.” Bruce watched Dick’s eyes follow the collar in his hand as he put it on the seat behind him. “It is necessary.”

Once the collar was out of sight, Dick peered at Bruce with his wondrous blue eyes. He soon diverted them, looking at the other half of the limo. Bruce could sense it then, the omega’s nervousness burning at the back of his mind.

“I’ve never done that before...” Dick said in a small voice not looking over when Bruce moved closer and was only driven to do so by the hand lightly grabbing his chin.

“It’ll be alright.”

Their stares bore into one another with a complete understanding of the situation, just as Bruce moved forward. Dick subconsciously canted his head to the side, offering his neck to the alpha. He parted his lips and shivered when they finally made contact.

_Scent Marking._

It was remarkably different from a kiss while at the same time being just as intimate. They’ve never done it before and as it happens, it was one of those things that made Dick lose control of all his senses.

Dick’s head lightly hit the car door as his breath stammered compulsively, feeling Bruce rub against his neck. He adjusted himself, widening the space between his legs, sighing when the alpha settled more in between them. _God, it felt so good._ It was a pleasure masked by pheromones and a conclusive obligation between mates. Even though the two had yet to form an official bond, scent-marking acted as a sort of predefined one. 

Dick’s glands tingled as Bruce continued mouthing against them, sometimes pausing to inhale his scent. Dick did the same, kneading Bruce’s shoulders, pulling him as close as he could go, and breathed in his musky aroma. Heat curled in his spine when Bruce settled a hand on the curve of his back, gasping when his glands were caressed by those soft lips.

Dick felt a low rumbling noise come from the alpha as the air flooded with domineering pheromones enough to make Dick go blind. _Mine._ The omega’s mind chanted, taking away all of his worries about the collar restraining his neck. None of it mattered when his whole well being desired the alpha. That is until everything suddenly stopped.

Dick gasped, suddenly breathing in the open air as Bruce pulled away, hearing a muffled scream from outside the car.

“ _Jason, I said let go_!”

Bruce sighed loudly, sparing Dick one last look before he reluctantly got out of the car. Dick sat up, body feeling leaden as his thoughts drowned with fatigue. He huffed and straightened his clothing, taking a quick peek at the tinted partition, knowing that Alfred could very well smell what they had done, even if he couldn’t see it. There was no need to be embarrassed, for it was only natural but Dick couldn’t help it. He didn’t know when he’d ever get used to this.

Eventually, Bruce opened his side of the car door, presenting Dick with that dreaded wheelchair of his. _Just one more week and he could get rid of the damned thing._ When they made it out of the parking garage, Dick let his body bast in the sunlight and fresh air, happy to be off the Wayne property because Bruce’s backyard could offer only so much in terms of liberation.

They made their way down the sidewalk and Tim was busy looking for places to shop. They ended up going to a rather large department store that looked to be a little on the expensive side. Considering what side of town they were on, it wasn’t surprising in the slightest. When they entered, the store clerk spared them a quick glance before looking back at his phone, leaving their little group to fend for themselves. 

“You can get anything you want,” Bruce said, once again, reminding Dick that he was living with a billionaire.

Dick almost rolled his eyes at Bruce’s obvious jest when the first section he was wheeled to just so happened to be the jeans aisle. “Such flattery,” Dick said sarcastically. “Mind if you help me try on clothes?”

“Of course.” Bruce rushed in his acceptance while helping Dick stand up from the wheelchair.

“I meant Tim.”

Bruce frowned and opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out, causing Jason to snort. Tim assessed the situation and quickly pulled Dick along until they were far away enough from both alphas.

“When we first met, I never took you as one to be cheeky.”

Dick shrugged looking at the row of pants. “It comes and goes.”

“Well, Bruce definitely doesn’t know how to take it,” Tim said as he watched the omega browse through the clothes. “I mean I’ve never seen him hold back so much before, especially since...”

Dick raised a brow at that, hearing Tim hesitate before speaking.

“…You think you can cut him some slack?”

After grabbing a pair of jeans, Dick paused and considered Tim’s words. “Not yet.” 

_“_ And why not?”

“It’s a little fun keeping him on edge.”

“Well, I don’t think he’s having fun at all,” Tim replied, making Dick laugh.

“He’ll be fine, Tim,” Dick said as he picked out his second pair of pants. For his sake, he hoped that Bruce would be fine. Their situation wasn’t normal in the slightest and Dick’s never been in a relationship before. In any event, he was going to proceed with caution. He would try to at least because he felt himself giving in more and more each day.

“Are you even sure that _you’ll_ be fine?”

“As much as I’m attracted to Bruce,” Dick continued. “I’m not ready to just jump right into things.” He said, knowing damn well he smelled like Bruce right now. “Especially when I’m... inexperienced.”

“Wait, you mean... you’re a virgi--! Tim’s response was muffled by Dick’s hand covering his mouth.

“Quiet down.” Dick hissed as he peeked over at Bruce on the other side of the store. They made eye contact and Dick quickly smiled before looking back at Tim. “Don’t tell anyone.”

Tim moved Dick’s hand away from his mouth. “I--I won’t. I promise.”

Dick gave him a skeptical look to which Tim pretended to zip his mouth shut. It didn’t convince the omega in the slightest and he was sure by this time next week, Jason would most likely mention it. Hopefully, it wasn’t in front of Bruce. 

Dick pushed the thought aside and returned to shopping. He didn’t take Bruce’s offer to heart only picking out several pairs of pants and shirts to try on. After he was done, he headed to check out where Bruce insisted that he needed more clothes-- more, meaning that they were going to multiple stores. As much as Dick hated the wheelchair, after the third store, he ended up sitting in it for the rest of the day. 

_Excessive._

That’s what Dick thought of his alpha at the moment. He wanted the best and only the best of anything and everything at the expense of his own morals. Dick questioned Bruce only one time that afternoon about how he was spoiling him. This caused the alpha to give Dick an incredulous look as if he couldn’t believe his ears. Then Bruce assured him that it was all extremely necessary and that Dick would need more. 

_Stubborn._

Bruce was remarkably adamant about his decisions. Once he made one, there was no changing it unless Dick could influence him otherwise. Truth be told, Dick found it quite endearing. He’s never been fawned over by someone so devoted and attractively powerful before. No matter how stubborn his alpha was, he was never cruel or heartless. Contrary to the rumors, Bruce concealed his prowess in public unlike other alpha’s who liked to unnervingly show it off. Even though he was currently disguised, he stayed refined and confident with benevolence trimming at the edges of his presentation. 

When they returned to the manor later that evening, Dick was reluctant to part with Bruce as he had been all day-- ever since he scented him. That’s why when said man disappeared after dinner, Dick went and searched for him around the house with Tim’s help.

Bruce’s office was downstairs situated between a room filled with instruments and some extra storage rooms. Dick hadn’t had a chance to explore the whole house yet but the more he looked around, the more he discovered.

“He usually doesn’t like people bothering him when he’s in there,” Tim commented while looking at the closed door.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Dick said with a smile before Tim shrugged and walked off.

Dick took a deep breath then knocked on the door. “It’s Dick.” He heard a shuffle then Bruce was opening the door, holding up a finger because he was talking on the phone. Dick wheeled himself inside, listening to Bruce talk to someone about work before he drowned them out and looked around the room.

The space was dim, walls littered with tall bookshelves, blending in with the chestnut-colored paneling. It was a little antique like the rest of the manor and it felt homey. Dick took it upon himself to stand up, slowly walking around the room, looking at all the decorations and books scattered about. He slid out a book in the midst of others, finding it surprisingly dust-free. Who was he kidding, the small staff run by Alfred did wonders to the massive house and Bruce’s office was no different.

Appraisal aside, Dick opened the book and unenthusiastically flipped through the crinkled pages. When he grew bored, he moved on to the next book, barely listening to Bruce’s voice behind him, hoping he would hang up soon. As if on cue, Dick heard the alpha bid his friend a good night before straightening papers on his desk. Dick replaced the book and turned around, watching Bruce pocket his phone.

“I forgot to say thank you for buying me clothes.” Dick didn’t mention that it was practically an entire two stores' worth.

“There’s no need to thank me.” A small smile tugged at the end of the alpha’s lips. “I’ll buy you anything that you want.”

“Anything?” Dick feigned a ponder and tapped a finger against his chin, walking over until he was in front of Bruce’s desk. “Then I want a car; an Aston Martin One-77.”

Bruce didn’t bat an eye. “I’ll consider it.”

“My God,” Dick gawked at him with a wide smile. “Bruce, I was just kidding.”

“I didn’t say yes,” Bruce retorted. “I said I would consider it.”

“You’re practically saying yes.” Dick laughed. “Please don’t even _think_ about buying me a million-dollar car.” 

“I’ll try and resist,” Bruce replied moving past the omega and doing something behind him.

Dick couldn’t hold back a small laugh before accidentally knocking something down onto the desk. He paused, seeing a small picture frame and grabbed it, wiping the nonexistent dust from the glass then looked at the two people there. A woman with short dark hair had her arm looped through Bruce’s as they stood in front of a white backdrop. The alpha seldom smiled next to the woman who had a smile as bright as the sun with a diamond ring on her left hand. Dick quickly glanced at Bruce’s hand in the picture before feeling something warm touch his back and softly grab the frame from his hand.

“You were married?” Dick turned around, Bruce brushing his arm as he placed the picture frame back on his desk.

“No, we weren’t.” Bruce pulled back, body towering over the omegas. “We were putting on a show for her father just for the fun of it.”

“And you kept a picture?” Dick asked with an amused look (though he wasn’t entirely amused). He could feel a very small wave of sadness flow through Bruce as he looked down at the picture. 

“It’s more of a commemorable thing,” Bruce said, tone laced with nostalgia, concurrently replacing his grief.

Dick gazed up at Bruce’s expression, seeing a soft smile, one that he’d never seen before. Whoever this woman was, she must have meant a lot to Bruce and Dick wasn’t sure how to feel about that. 

Dick looked away, slipping past the alpha to sit down on one of the small leather sofas. “Was she one of your old girlfriends? I mean, I’m just curious.” He crossed his legs, feeling a cool breeze run of his calve after having changed into a new pair of lounge shorts earlier. “It wouldn’t be surprising if she was-- she is very beautiful.”

Bruce cracked a small smile and walked over, sitting down beside the omega. “No one is more beautiful than you, Dick.”

Dick studied his alpha as he grabbed and kissed the back of his hand, lips lingering there for a while. “You’re such a sweet talker. No wonder your playboy reputation is so big.”

“Is that all you know about me?” Bruce mused.

“I can name a couple of more things if you want? Like your stubbornness, excessiveness, and overprotectiveness--”

“Only bad things?” Bruce chuckled softly. 

“Well, you’re also... kind, gentle…” Dick grinned, feeling quite confident at the moment. “... and handsome.” He wouldn’t have said this to the alpha’s face last week, not with his diffidence. He’d grown more used to his alpha now and the scenting they did today changed things for the better. 

Bruce hummed, affection glowing in his eyes, startling Dick when he pulled him close. 

“What about me?” Dick asked when they were chest against chest, looking up into his alpha’s eyes with a fast-beating heart. “Besides me being beautiful of course.”

“You’re… witty.” 

Dick laughed, playfully pushing against the alpha’s chest but going nowhere-- not when the alpha had him in such a tight hold. It was a given that he wanted to be closer to Bruce as well which is why he didn’t falter when the alpha stated--

“You haven’t been getting enough sleep.” Bruce rubbed a thumb under Dick’s eye where he knew his heavy bags sat.

Dick averted his gaze. “I’m fine...”

“I haven’t been sleeping well either.” 

Dick looked back at his alpha not seeing an ounce of evidence of his fatigue. “Well, you sure don’t look like it.”

“I’m being serious, Dick. I’ve given you space but, it’s unhealthy for us to keep doing this.” Bruce pinned the omega with his eyes. “Sleep with me tonight,” he said in a low voice, making the omega quiver.

There was no point in going back to his own bed when Dick knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep and sleep sounded good right now; sleeping in his alpha’s arms sounded even better… Feeling flushed and not being able to look away from his alpha’s eyes, Dick found himself saying, “Okay.” hoping that his exhaustion would dwindle away after this night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines Day!


	8. Uncontrollable Distraction

As expected, their relationship was bound to develop to such lengths after sleeping in the same bed for two weeks. Even more so when Dick got his stitches out and was able to move freely without worrying his vigilant alpha. From then on, it was a pleasant distraction.

Dick let his legs dangle a bit above the ground, back nearly touching the dresser mirror with his hands splayed on Bruce’s bare chest. Their mouths moved together in a slow sensual pace, deep breaths ghosting over each other’s skin as they parted by an inch. They never stayed apart for long, for the pleasure was magnetic and eased whatever need to breathe they had. 

Dick let out a soft noise, toes curling, after feeling Bruce’s hands clutch his ass. His ass was the very thing that got him in this position in the first place. Dick had been in the midst of putting on a shirt, leaving his muscular legs bare below his briefs. It must have triggered something because next thing Dick knew, he was being lifted and placed on the dresser without an ounce of difficulty. Granted, this wasn’t the first time something like this has happened and maybe- _just maybe-_ Dick thought it was fun to taunt the alpha whenever he could. He couldn’t help it. Dick was equally as desperate as Bruce was, though he wouldn’t admit it out loud-- his lips were enough to prove that.

“Not so hard.” Dick gave a breathy laugh against Bruce’s mouth, feeling the grip on his butt slacken. 

Bruce pressed his lips to Dick’s once again, murmuring a soft, “I want you.” before capturing his lips entirely.

Dick moaned quietly, legs squeezing around his alpha’s hips after hearing his words. He wanted him too; he really did. But not as of this moment. Especially when it was the middle of the afternoon and the rest of the Wayne family was in the house.

“Bruce!” A knock sounded the door, causing the mates to part with reluctance.

Dick chuckled, letting his head rest on Bruce’s chest who was currently peeved. Dick swore Jason and Tim’s disturbances weren't always accidents, for they both seemed to have a tiny streak of mischievousness that drained them of their innocence. Then again, Bruce seemed to not question it almost as if he were used to it-- _more like he spoiled them rotten_. Bruce claimed he didn’t, simply because he was strict, but that did to stop him from almost always being a ‘yes’ man. Well, only when it had nothing to do with the Dark Knight clan. 

Dick mulled over that thought as the alpha placed one last kiss on his lips before retrieving his button-up shirt from the bed. Dick jumped off the dresser, quickly grabbing his pants from the floor and pulling them up just before the door was opened.

“Bruce,” Tim complained, holding a tiny piece of paper in his hand. 

“What’s wrong, Tim?”

“Oh, and hi, Dick.” Tim acknowledged the omega before pouting once more. “Bruce, I need you to sign this for some stupid school trip next week.” He folded his arms when Bruce took the slip. “But I really don’t want to go.”

“Say’s here it’s required.”

“Bruce, please? Can’t you just say I’m sick like last time? I’ll help Alfred cook or something in return. So please?”

Dick watched Bruce rub his chin in contemplation. “...I’ll see what I can do--”

“Bruce.” Dick scoffed incredulously.

Bruce cleared his throat. “It’s required. You have to go. No excuses.” He quickly backfired.

“Wha--” Tim’s wide eyes darted between the two. “That’s-- you can’t do that!” Tim said to Dick. “It’s not fair. When did you all of a sudden start having authority? And what would you know, I bet you haven’t even been to school.”

“And I would have loved to have gone if I could've.” Dick grabbed the slip from Bruce’s hand. “The Metropolis Museum of Art. Sounds interesting.” He handed it back to Tim with a teasing smile. “Bruce will sign it later. Have fun, Tim.”

“You can’t just--” Tim couldn’t believe his ears. “Bruce? Aren’t you going to say anything?” He gestured towards Dick with a look of desperation.

“I agree with Dick. You'll have fun, I’m sure.”

Tim huffed with irritation, bewildered that this was actually happening. “I swear if we didn’t have a truce I’d-- Ugh! Nevermind.” Tim quickly walked away, slumping his shoulders in defeat.

“...Umm,” Jason came around the corner. “I guess this is a bad time to ask for some extra cash?”

“I just gave you $200 a week ago, Jason.”

“You know how college is, Bruce. Books, parties, women.” He counted on three fingers.

“Two of those things aren’t important.” Dick piped in.

“And one of those things are expensive as hell.” Jason peeved, displeasure fixed in his stare. “I’m guessing Tim and I are gonna have to start calling you _mommy_ from now on, huh?”

“Please,” Dick jammed an elbow into Bruce's ribs, cutting off his chuckle. “Don’t ever call me that again.”

“You were asking for it.” Jason retorted, mockingly. “Nevermind. I’ll just borrow money from Timmy, see ya.” He turned on his heel, throwing them a little wave before disappearing around the corner.

"So, this truce?" Bruce said after closing the door. “What truce was Tim talking about?" 

"Don't worry about it, big guy," Dick replied while patting the alpha’s back. “It’s nothing serious.”

Dick definitely did not think of himself as a parent. Not in the slightest. Despite Alfred praising him for doing things he’s been telling Bruce for years, he didn’t feel a sense of accomplishment. This was all just another distraction to him. Dick enjoyed being with the Wayne family; he hasn’t felt this serene in a long time but he was relaxing a bit _too_ much for a person being hunted by his ex-clan. 

Still, it felt good to get away from his disciplined lifestyle to stay in this fantasy world and forget about his past entirely. 

~*~

“Alright, everything look’s good.” Dr. Dundee said after giving Dick a quick check-up.

“I told Bruce this wasn’t necessary.” The omega sighed.

“Well, I’m not sure how it was… before you started living with him. But it is highly recommended that omegas get regular checkups every 3 months or so.”

“Knowing Bruce, I’m sure I’ll be here every month.”

The doctor laughed. “Ah, yes, Bruce does have a knack for doing things like that. I remember when he first brought in Selina and she made--

“Who’s Selina?”

Dick watched the doctor open and close his mouth before throwing him a sheepish smile. “It’s no one important, um, I forgot to ask. How are your feet feeling since we took the stitches out last week? Better?”

Dick’s eyes narrowed before he answered. “Yeah, they feel fine.”

Dr. Dundee nodded. “Good, that’s good. And how have you been feeling after taking the Surge suppressor?”

“I feel the same as usual, I guess. Am I supposed to feel different?” Truth be told, Dick had almost forgotten about taking that suppressant. Especially now when this Selina person was all that plagued his mind.

“Hardly. I’m guessing you’re already aware that once it is dispensed, the medicine will last up to four months.”

“Yeah… I remember hearing about that somewhere.” 

The doctor nodded. “Well, do I need to prescribe you with a regular dosage or should we let your heat cycle run its natural course?”

Dick pressed his lips together and peeked at the door. Bruce had gone outside to take a call not too long ago and would probably be out there for a while. In light of that, Dick decided to speak. “C-Can I take some with me just in case…”

The doctor raised a brow and adjusted his glasses. “That’s not a problem. But I must warn you now that you cannot take this medicine until the day of your heat.”

“What do you mean?”

“The medicine is unlike the daily suppressant pills because it doesn’t necessarily prevent your heats, it just sort of,” He motioned his hands around as he explained. “Terminates it the moment it happens.”

“What a rip-off,” Dick mumbled as he thought about the price, causing the doctor to laugh.

“Some people think so, yes, but it is highly recommended. You only need to take it three times a year rather than a pill every day.”

“That’s true, I guess.” Dick sighed and slid down the examination table.

“I’ll go and get some of the medicine for you.” The doctor stood up.

“Thanks and think you can point me toward the restroom?” Dick followed the doctor out the door, watching him gesture toward the end of the long hallway. Dick said another thanks and looked behind him, seeing Bruce in the waiting room still talking on the phone before he walked the opposite way to the bathroom.

Despite the hallway being long, Dick made it there quickly, only passing a few blurry faces on the way. He bypassed the urinals, walked into the biggest stall, and locked the door before reaching for his zipper.

It was then that heavy footsteps resonated throughout the three stall restroom, preceding an unsightly gruff voice. “Omega 21365.” 

Dick stared straight ahead, heart-pounding and unmoving at one of the few voices that were able to chill his soul.

“Who knew that I’d find you here out of all places.” 

There was a movement behind the door, one that Dick couldn’t register-- not until he glanced at the ground, watching the blocky shadows form the shape of two shoes. The man was to the far left of the crack between the door hinges and Dick was sure if he turned around, he’d be able to see the man looking through.

“I guess you forgot I was a doctor.” The man chuckled. “Well I can’t blame you can I? We barely talked. And it’s not like I was flaunting my rather ‘normal’ lifestyle to everyone.” 

Dick heard a thump against the door--presumably, him leaning against it--and narrowed his eyes, dropping his arms to his sides.

“Father was against me getting a day job, you know?” He chuckled again. “That’s why I got one in Gotham instead of Blüdhaven but who knew I’d run into you here and so out in the open?”

Dick slowly turned to the side, mouth going dry as he looked at the crack from his peripheral, confirming his suspicions. The alpha, Grant, was looking through the rather broad slit, showing off a portion of his pleased smile with a cigarette between his lips.

“And to find you with no one other than the playboy billionaire. The very man you were sent to kill.” Grant threw his head back and laughed. “Wait until father finds out. He’ll be _soo_ heartbroken.” 

Dick scowled and spoke without warning. “That’s right, I almost forgot how you always did run back to daddy.” Dick turned fully around and watched the man sneer. “It’s no wonder your younger brother is the favorite.” They had no relations between them but that didn’t mean Dick didn’t know about the clans little family hierarchy. They most definitely didn’t try and hide it.

“Shut the hell up--fucking omega!” Grant slammed his hand against the door, making it rattle loudly. “Father sent out a hit on you, telling everyone to bring you to him, alive, but I don’t think I’ll do that.” The alpha growled. “I’ll kill you and then... I’ll kill that fucker, Bruce Wayne-- just like father wanted.”

“You go anywhere near _my alpha_ and you’ll regret it,” Dick growled back.

“ _Your_ … alpha? Ah, so that’s what this is.” Grant took a step back. “I always told father that it was a bad idea to train omegas. They’re weak to our pheromones and easy to control but they’re emotional-- that’s why we wanted rare defects.” A smile danced on Grant’s lips. “That reminds me... doesn’t the prince of Gotham have a defect for a son?”

“...”

The door was shattered from its hinges as Dick kicked it dead center with all the force he could muster up by means of his resentment. The now open space gave way to the image of the door slamming against the edge of the sink, echoing loudly in the hollow area of the bathroom. Dick heard a grunt before swiftly running over and jamming the door underneath the rim of the sink, effectively smashing Grant on the hard tile.

“Stay away from them!” Dick yelled as he beat the door with his right foot, hearing the wood crack with every strike.

It was through his provoked fume to protect that Dick felt a hand grab his left foot, making him slip and hit the ground shoulder first with a loud thud. Dick grunted and quickly looked over his shoulder, seeing Grant attempting to push the large door away with a trembling arm while digging his nails further into Dick’s ankle. 

_God, he wished he had a weapon right now._

“You’re being reckless.” The alpha laughed floutingly, still struggling to push the door off. “I think you’ve lost your touch, Tal--”

Dick abruptly yanked his leg away, bringing it back to kick the struggling alpha directly in the chest, watching him snarl as the door hit his face a second time. Dick reacted rapidly, knowing that the alpha’s spasming diaphragm would last less than five seconds. The omega stood up with a stumble, suppressed a shudder of adrenaline, and grabbed a hold of the sink, using it as leverage to push the weighted door off of the coughing alpha.

“Still weak.” Dick spit directly on Grant's face, watching him growl loudly before he pushed a foot into the alpha’s chest. 

“Fuck you--!” Grant shouted and Dick kicked at his chest again, watching the rise and fall falter with small delight. 

This bastard was weak. _Always was._ He’d never been able to best Dick in a fight and was the inferior child of their clan leader. A ‘mistake’ they called him, who was just as much of a killer as Dick was… _no, was a nastier killer than he was._

“I told you not to threaten my alpha-- you didn’t listen.” 

“Don’t get full of y-yourself.” Grant coughed up blood. “You’re no different from us-- Agh!!” Dick pressed down on his chest, watching the man flail beneath his new shoe. 

“You had a choice...” Dick bit out through clenched teeth, taking all his frustration out on the third person he resented with all his life. “...I didn’t.” 

Dick’s wanted out since the day he was pulled in, that's why he had no remorse for when he stomped at Grant’s chest with the hard heel of his shoe once again. _But this wasn’t right. This wasn’t him. Why was he doing this? He needed to stop._

Grant somehow mustered up enough air to talk, drawing Dick’s hesitance. “N-now I see why f-father loved you the most, hahaha--!!” Dick slammed another foot into the hysterical alpha’s chest. “So fucking r-ruthless--” 

“Shut up!”

“Y-you're a r-ruthless killer... _Talon_.” That name was enough to make Dick blindsided by rage as he grossly broke the side of Grant’s jaw with his foot, watching blood splatter on the floor. 

Dick forced himself to stop, leaning the full weight of his hands against the sink, watching the abandoned cigarette by Grant’s head wane little by little, as he caught his breath. Though he could’ve; though he wanted to, Dick hadn’t killed him. As a rotten alternative, Dick watched Grant narrowly breathe in and out, stuttering with three-second intervals. The alpha’s eyes were squinted, seeming to be studying Dick even though he could no longer talk. 

Dick was sure that one more blow to the chest would kill him and he wanted to deliver it, just not like this… _not when he was trying to change._

"I'm not like you…" Dick declared this with dreariness and blood staining his shoe, as he tried to convince himself. _He wasn’t like them._ He’s been loved once before when his parents were still alive and now he’s being loved wholeheartedly by someone he wanted to protect. But even that did nothing to destroy this vile side of himself that he couldn’t get rid of. 

Dick’s only wish was that Bruce would never have to witness it. _He prayed that he wouldn’t_! But it was too late. Through his prior frenzy, Dick hadn’t noticed a presence standing by the door after he made his final kick. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been watching but it didn’t matter. 

_Bruce had seen him._

Dick couldn’t look up; he _wouldn’t_ look up. He was too afraid to see Bruce’s expression. Instead, Dick whimpered, feeling his omega seek for his alpha’s forgiveness. 

“This… this isn’t me…” His voice trembled. “I--I didn’t kill him… I won’t k--kill again, Bruce. I promise I won’t.” Dick finally looked over at his alpha, seeing him with a blank expression. He whimpered again, wanting nothing more than comfort and reassurance from his alpha. He was practically begging for it, naturally releasing pheromones as he did. It wasn’t until Bruce pulled him into a hug that the omega revealed his grievances and let his tears fall.

“I’m sorry--I’m sorry, Bruce.” Dick cried into Bruce’s shoulder. “I don’t want to be like this.” He gripped the alpha’s shirt, trying to stop himself from shivering. “I never did…”

“Hush, my love.”

The omega continued to cry. “Please, don’t hate me--don’t leave me,” He rambled on, feeling vulnerable in his mate’s arms. “Bruce-- Alpha, please don’t leave me...” The omega trailed off, giving in to the familiar feeling of his alpha overpowering his senses with his tranquilizing pheromones. Except, this time, Dick accepted it wholly and let himself blackout.


	9. Suppressed Memories

Bruce gathered the omega in his arms and cradled him close. Indolently, he spared the man on the ground with a small glance, watching him breathe in short puffs, askance in his squinted glare. Bruce glowered at the DS tattoo on the man's wrist, identical to his mate's own.

“Call Gordon,” Bruce told Dr. Dundee who was standing behind him at the door.

“Are you sure you want to involve the police with this one, Mr. Wayne?”

“Call him or I’ll leave that man dead on the floor,” Bruce growled at the beta.

The doctor lowered his head and moved to the side as Bruce walked by with Dick in his arms.

“I’ll call Gordon, Mr. Wayne, but just know that this decision will affect the entire clan. We will not be able to move about freely.” It was acknowledged by the clan that Gordon was a special case but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t have restrictions.

Bruce went stiff, gritting his teeth, forcing himself not to bite back, and spoke calmly. “When has that ever stopped me before? Just call him. I'll find a way around it.” Bruce continued walking, leaving the doctor in the empty hallway.

The doctor hasn’t seen Bruce act like this since the Selina situation but even then, he didn’t involve the police. The clan moved on its own initiative then, following Bruce’s rather reckless orders but it was to no avail. They had no lead, Bruce went into another state of depression and virtually retired early, leaving the clan to wander on their own. Dr. Dundee was a bit taken aback when he received a message from Bruce calling upon all the members to meet back in Gotham. Then he understood as soon as the clan’s alpha brought in Dick. 

It was imperative but not all the clan members were happy about being called back randomly, especially since there was no explanation. But in due time, the doctor was sure they’d all gather, for they all have had problems concerning the DS clan.

  
  


~*~

_“I can see it... Within you, I can see a deep inner need to find a means to an end.”_

_Ponderous drops of water rained down on Dick’s head, shrouding his last piece of dry hair, till it stuck to his face. He didn’t dare look up, taking it upon himself to watch the ripples in the puddle that encompassed his hand._

_“You want the pain to go away.”_

_Dick shivered, lip trembling as he tried to hold back the tears, daring to breach the corners of his eye. He blinked, watching the puddle slowly flood with the color red and hoping it would vanish._

_“Now the pain is gone.”_

_A foot entered Dick’s sight, splashing the bloodied water on his face. Dick flinched, whimpering as he scrambled backward. He hugged his short legs close, averting his eyes from the trail of watery crimson._

_“Look at me.”_

_Dick held his breath, something clicking in his mind, forcing him to obey. A chill went through him once they made eye contact just before the man stepped out of the way, giving Dick a clear view of the lifeless body behind him._

_“Look at what you’ve done.”_

_“I...I c-can’t.” Dick felt like his throat closing in as he tried to speak._

_“Your previous ambitions are nil, young Grayson.” The man trudged his way over to the young omega, bending down to a knee to grab Dick’s chin. “Your life will be different from now on.”_

_Dick balled his fist, finally allowing the tears to fall down his face. “...N-No.”_

_"Yes… Accept what you’ve done.” The pit of Dick’s stomach fell, as he was paralyzed with trepidation._

_"No, no I… I didn’t… do that--" Dick shook his head in denial, whimpering, begging for all of this to be some type of an illusion. "P-Papa." He called out in a tiny voice filled with desperation._

_"You’re father’s gone now, child." The man stood up, looking back at the dead body, his tone remaining dead and emotionless. "And that was the man who killed him. You should be happy that you've gotten your revenge so early on.” He looked back at the omega, distinctively, the hand enveloped in the tiny puddle. “You’ve clawed the poor man’s face so much, it’s unrecognizable.” The man reached down and grabbed Dick’s hand from the water._

_"Look here, look at what this hand did." Dick tried to pull it away, but his body was too weak as he was forced to look at his bloody hands. He wept, trying to will his eyes to look away but knew that wouldn’t erase the image of what he had done._

_"What a fitting name for you, young Grayson...Talon."_

.

.

.

Dick woke up with a pounding heart, his body tingling with spontaneous numbness. He jolted upwards immediately seeking his right hand and began scratching at it. The skin there itched and burned with an unseen overuse of experiences he wanted to forget. “Go away go away go away…” He chanted repeatedly, breathing harshly through his nose. Dick persisted scraping his skin, oblivious to the tiny bits of blood building up in his nails as he did. “Please, please… go away-!” Distress encased his thoughts as he carelessly released pheromones throughout the room. His breath hitched when he felt a striking pain from his nail breaching further into the skin of his hand, making him cry out.

“Dick!?” A deep voice impeded his thoughts, but the omega was too occupied trying to control his breathing. _He couldn’t._ Something was blocking his airway-- the lump at the back of his throat wouldn’t go away.

“Dick, look at me.” Hands grabbed his face, forcing him to look forward. “Look at me. I’m here. Look at me, Dick.”

His mind gradually registered the man as his alpha. “Bruce…” Dick’s voice was strained as he imparted the man’s name through harsh gasps.

“Yes, I’m here, my love. Right here.” Bruce brought a hand to the back of the omega’s neck, rubbing the glands there. “Breathe.”

“Bruce--” Dick let his body give way, allowing Bruce to hold him up. “Make it go away-- Bruce please-- make it go away--”

“Shhh, breathe, Dick.”

“Make-- it go away, alpha.” Dick wept. “Please--please, make it stop.” He whimpered at the feeling of lulling pheromones encasing his senses.

“Breathe, my love. It’s alright, I’m here.” Bruce reassured, pulling the omega close. “Breathe.” He said again as Dick felt the lump in his throat sluggishly dissolve, finally allowing him to take a deep shuddering breath. 

“That’s it… slowly.”

Dick basked in his alpha’s pheromones, savoring his strong scent as if it were a lifeline. With Bruce’s support, the omega took deep breaths, imploring away those… suppressed memories. 

_They always came back when he least expected it._

Whether he was asleep or awake, they haunted his mind. He never wanted anyone to see him like this, to see this concealed feebleness that he strove to hide. Now Bruce had seen; his alpha had experienced his pain. _This horrible pain._

“Shh.” Bruce hushed him as if he could read his thoughts. “You’re safe, now.”

The omega whined, feeling his skin scratch against the hot sheets, exhaling softly when Bruce pulled the covers all the way back. Dick felt Bruce slide onto the bed behind him, moving his head to lay on his chest. Dick let his hand be gently lifted and examined as he slowly closed his eyes, taking more deep breaths. He melted into Bruce’s chest, remaining in a trance of some sort as his heartbeat slowed down _._

“I’ve brought the medical supplies, Master Bruce.”

Dick cracked open his eyes, seeing Alfred hand Bruce a medical kit. He wasn’t sure when Bruce had informed the butler about his predicament until he spotted a cell phone beside the alpha’s leg, reflecting off of the sunlight. _It was day time? Since when? How long had he been asleep_?

“Hold still, Dick,” Bruce said after placing a wide silver bowl underneath Dick’s hands. The omega hissed, as his bloody hand was doused in isopropyl alcohol. The pain let up as his wound and fingernails were cleaned with a cotton swab then bandaged up for protection.

Dick closed his eyes again, hearing Bruce say, “Thank you, Alfred.”

“Of course. I shall remind you that Jason will be home from his morning classes soon.”

“Tell him not to look for me--as well as Tim-- if I am not downstairs by this afternoon.”

“Of course, Master Bruce.” Alfred quietly closed the door behind him, leaving the room in silence.

A warm hand ran through Dick’s hair and Bruce was the first to speak after a while of silence. “Are you feeling better?”

“Mm.” Dick nuzzled into Bruce’s chest, allowing his body to fulfill that innate need his omega called forth. “How long have I been asleep?” 

“Since yesterday afternoon.”

_It was real then. Everything he did to Grant was real and Bruce had seen._

Dick looked down at his bandaged hand, already feeling his stomach churn with disgust.

“Do you… want to talk about it?” Bruce asked, hesitation fused in his tone.

Dick slowly shook his head, mouth setting in a hard line. “No.” 

_He wanted to forget._

Keeping this in mind, the omega re-adjusted his position, turning around to straddle the alpha’s lap. He quickly wrapped his arms around Bruce's shoulders and buried his face in his neck, the scent instantly soothing him in his state of vulnerability. “…not right now,” Dick mumbled, feeling Bruce's hand pause at the back of his head.

“I don’t want to see you like this again,” Bruce said softly, his tone balanced between an imperative need to know and being considerate. 

Dick pulled back, peering into Bruce’s eyes, filled with innate worry. He brought his uninjured hand to the back of the alpha’s neck, progressively bringing their lips together in order to sate his worried alpha. The omega shivered, naturally deepening the kiss, silently praying that it would never end so that he could forget; _forget about everything._

“Dick--” Bruce spoke against the omega’s lips with a heavy breath. “Hold on--”

Dick silenced him with his mouth, biting the alpha’s lower lip in desperation. He didn’t want to pull away now. He just wanted to forget. Bruce would help him forget. He’d sate his alpha and sate himself at the same time; consequently, just so he could inhibit those gruesome memories. 

“Wait--” Bruce lightly pushed the omega back.

“Alpha,” Dick said softly, melding their lips together once more. He couldn’t get enough as a longing whispered through him, telling him what he needed. Warmth spread through him and his scent glands throbbed with life, practically begging Bruce to help him forget. _That’s all he cared about, that’s all he wanted. If his alpha could make him forget, then nothing else mattered._

“Dick, stop,” Bruce ordered, causing the omega to pull away, sadness clouding his features. _Had he done something wrong?_ He questioned, forgetting that his feelings were open and available for Bruce to digest against his will.

“My love, we have to talk about this sooner or later...” Bruce rubbed circles in his back. “...Holding it all in is unhealthy.”

Dick looked away and spoke barely above a whisper. “...It’s better this way…” 

“Dick that’s--”

“It’s easier this way, Bruce.” Dick’s cut him off, misery engraved in his expression and pheromones. “My past…I want to forget about it.” He revealed easily.

Bruce’s hands tightened into fist alongside Dick’s waist as he frowned sympathetically. “I understand how you feel, my love but that’s not something you can just forget. It takes time to work through these things. A long time...” Bruce moved to cup his cheek, thumbing the soft skin there. ”Sometimes it’s better to let it all out and come to terms with it.”

Dick regarded his alpha’s statement, his diction hinting at something specific; something personal. Upon closer inspection, Dick found that the base of the alpha’s words were going to remain hidden since he wasn’t bold enough to question them. It was evident that Dick also knew nothing about the alpha’s past, besides the rather tragic death of his parents. 

“If you want to tell me what happened, I will listen,” Bruce said, letting his hand fall back to Dick’s waist.

Dick shook his head. “I can’t, Bruce. I don’t want you to feel all of my pain.” 

_There was so much misery built up throughout the years of assassinating--not even Dick could handle it. He never wanted to talk about it either._

“Pain only lasts for so long, Dick.”

“But I can’t bring myself to do that to you… I just can’t.” Dick urged again, trying to make his alpha understand. 

“I will not make you tell me.” Bruce continued, leaning forward until their foreheads touched. “But I want you to become self-aware and know that these problems will not just disappear. Not even when DS is terminated.”

Dick looked down at his lap and huffed a quiet chuckled, curling his fingers into the alpha’s shirt. “You sound like you’re lecturing Tim and Jason.”

Bruce sighed. “I knew you’d somehow turn this situation into a joke.” 

“Sorry,” Dick looked up with a small grin. “I just couldn’t help it.”

Bruce’s expression remained stern, making Dick’s smile falter. He felt childish for not remaining serious in such a situation but it was a habit. He’d rather laugh and be happy than cry and suffer but his alpha seemed to want to do things differently.

“I want you to start seeing a therapist.”

Dick widened his eyes and recoiled at the word. “Therapy?” 

Bruce’s serious expression didn’t falter one bit. “If you won’t tell me, then you need to let it out some other way.”

“You cannot be serious, Bruce.”

“I’m very serious. _You’re going.”_

Dick looked away, feeling disgruntled. He couldn’t go against his alpha even if he wanted to, _no_ , Bruce took it upon himself to make it an order; _an Alpha order_ which would now be engraved into his skull until the task is complete. He loathed his dynamic for that one simple thing.

“I can’t believe you’re going to _force_ me to do this, Bruce.” Dick scoffed, moving off of the alpha’s lap, and flopped down on his side of the bed.

“You’ll be fine. They will be someone associated with the clan and they have a lot of experience.”

Dick rolled his eyes, turning over onto his side, his back now facing Bruce. “I don’t really care who they’re associated with or how much experience they have.” He retorted exasperatedly-- he already knew he wasn’t going to enjoy this.

Dick felt Bruce lay down behind him, wrapping an arm around his waist. “You can be free here, Dick.” He said in the omega’s ear. “I will not restrain anything you want to do. You may desire anything that you wish and feel anything that you want. And I will do everything in my power to make you happy. But I want you to be _truly_ happy and to grow stronger mentally, that is why I want you to go. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

The omega closed his eyes and exhaled softly, trying to think of anything to counter Bruce’s advice. But he couldn’t; he couldn't find anything worth saying, mainly because he knew the alpha was right. _Dick couldn’t keep living like this._

“I’ll… try...” Dick said softly, still, a bit peeved but allowed Bruce to place a chaste kiss on his temple anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd let y'all know that Deathstroke from the original Teen Titans is my favorite! But his voice used to really creep me out as a kid. 😂😂


	10. An Understanding

Tim groaned internally once he came home from school, hearing a peal of all too familiar blaring laughter coming from the main foyer. Jason was with Roy _again_. Of course, he was. Why wouldn't he be? They were best friends, maybe even closer than he and Jason were which wasn’t a good thing per se. 

They weren’t necessarily allowed to have company over since Dick was supposed to be in hiding but since he was out of the house with Bruce, Jason must have bypassed that rule. Tim softly exhaled, gripping the straps of his backpack as his mind plunged into turmoil. He wanted to avoid them if possible but the only way to get to the stairs was passing by the large foyer they were in. He’d be in plain sight after he made it past the archway opening and Tim was too nice of a person to not greet them. It was courtesy of Bruce’s teachings to ‘always greet your guest’-- _no matter how much you disliked them_.

There was no point in disliking Roy though, he was almost _too_ flawless. Perfect smile, perfect hair, perfect body, perfect grades, perfect alpha dynamic-- just about everything about Roy was ideal and it irritated Tim immensely. As if that weren’t enough, he’s had the pleasure of dating Jason for a short period of time when they were still in high school. A relationship with two alphas was rare and Tim never pegged Jason for the type to do it. Despite his best efforts, Tim would never understand how they were still friends after they broke up. And no matter how much he denied it, Tim knew it was because Roy could tolerate all of Jason’s bullshit.

Tim was, for lack of better words… _envious._

Jason was annoying, a bully at most times but even a guy like him had his sweet moments. Where everyone else seemed to pity Tim for his lack of dynamic, Jason did the exact opposite. He encouraged him and ensured him that everything would be okay; that it was only a fluke; that he was just a really, _really,_ late bloomer.

Sadly, Tim had everything going against him. His age, his defect, and most of all, his familial connection to Jason. It wasn’t every day that a person fell for their brother--adopted or not--he was in deep shit at this point. Bearing this in mind, Tim walked forward, biting his lip as he forced himself to smile.

“Hey, Tim! Long time no see,” Roy said as soon as Tim rounded the corner. 

“Hey.” Tim’s lips twitched, trying to keep a smile plastered on his face as he observed the scene before him. Roy sat on the loveseat with his arm thrown around Jason’s shoulder. who threw a small wave, Tim’s way. Roy stood up and Tim could have sworn the sun was in love with the alpha as the backlight swarmed around him, making his already bright hair even brighter.

Tim mentally winced when the alpha walked over to hug him then pulled back and looked him over. “Your hair’s grown longer,” Roy noted, touching the left side of Tim’s short bangs. “Almost as long as mine. You’ve grown a little taller too.” Roy deflated making a dramatic sighing sound before hugging Tim once again. “Maybe it was a bad idea going to an out of state college. Little Tim is growing too fast for me.”

“I told your ass to stay in Gotham,” Jason said, making his way toward the two. Tim hadn’t expected Jason to pull him out of Roy’s arms and back onto his broad chest. Tim’s heart thumped and if he could scent him, he'd probably be bright red. "You were only gone for eight months, you’ll get over it,” Jason continued.

“I don’t think I can. I bet Tim missed me too, didn’t you, Tim?” Roy replied, grabbing ahold of Tim’s forearm in an attempt to pull him back but Jason’s hold around him wouldn’t let up. 

_What the hell was happening right now?_

Tim huffed in frustration, not being fond of the act of being manhandled by two tall alpha’s. “Let go of me.” He tugged himself away and slid out from between the two.

Roy put his hands up in apology. “I’m sorry, Tim. I didn’t even notice.”

 _How the hell didn’t they notice that?_ Tim concluded that he was lying while tightening his grip on his backpack and turning around. “I have homework. Bye.” He said, giving Jason one last look before he walked up the stairs.

“Jay… did you smell something… weird just now?” Roy whispered when Tim was far enough.

Jason shrugged. “Not really.” He watched Tim walk up the stairs with a skeptical look. The scent came as soon as it disappeared, confusing his senses, but maybe he did smell something…

~*~

_“It’s been almost five years since she suddenly passed away.”_

_“It’s a shame. She was the successor to Surge Enterprises and at such a young age too.”_

_“That’s true. Her father has been staying away from the spotlight ever since then.”_

_“It’s understandable.”_

_“It is, but the company is still going strong. Maybe one day Mr. Calabrese will find another successor.”_

_“I don’t know about that. But you know at one point, I thought it would be Bruce Wayne.”_

_“Exactly what I thought, Hahaha!”_

_“Maybe they have some bad blood going on. You know how it is.”_

_“I wouldn’t be surprised. She--”_

Tim quickly closed the news channel tab and peeked over his shoulder at Dick, checking to see if he was paying attention. He and Jason came down to the cave, upon Jason’s request, to spar and get revenge for the last time. Tim had been zoned out, intently listening to the commentary, not hearing the two come in until Jason said something with a booming voice. By chance, Dick hadn’t seen, instead, he seemed to be interested in their massive weapon collection.

“You sure you can fight with that hand?” Tim asked Dick from across the room, distracting him even further.

“It’s not that bad.” Dick looked down at his bandaged hand and flexed his fingers. “It’s been a few days already-- I should be fine.”

“When will you stop getting hurt?” Jason questioned sarcastically before Tim could.

“Hopefully starting now,” Dick muttered after stopping to gaze at a Katana encased in a dull-colored matte sheath. Feeling mesmerized, he opened the case and grabbed it then slowly removed its sheath, exhibiting a well-crafted blade. “This is nice.” He flipped it back and forth, watching the light bounce off its silvery luminescence.

“No weapons,” Jason said, motioning Dick to come over.

“And here I was hoping I’d get to try some out.” He resheathed the sword and put it back in its place before walking towards the alpha.

“We can do that next time. Today, I’m feeling more hand to hand.” Jason pointed to the empty space with large mats on the floor. “We’ll fight here.” 

“Got it.” Dick shrugged off his jacket, wearing only a tank top and a pair of biker shorts. “I’m ready when you are.”

“I’m sure this will be quick.” Tim piped in, sitting down on a seat facing the practice mats.

“Shut up, Tim.” Jason retorted. “There’s no way I’m gonna lose.”

“You mean lose again,” Tim added then Jason flipped him off. 

“Don’t worry.” Dick snickered at their bantering as he bent low, tightening his shoestrings. “I’ll go easy on him.”

Dick stood up and took his stance, watching Jason crack his knuckles before putting his fist up with a haughty smirk. Tim said ‘start’ and Dick was instantly on the defense when Jason threw quick punches, landing them on his forearm. As expected, the alpha used brute strength to his advantage, forcing Dick to languidly step back. Jason had Dick in the first half; in due course, the omega started getting serious by swiftly evading his forceful swings. With little to no delay, Dick grabbed Jason’s shoulders, kneed him in the face, using his staggering delay to wrap an arm around his neck, effectively throwing him to the ground.

“You’re really strong,” Dick said between breaths, “I’ll give you that.”

“Dammit.” Jason tutted as he sat up, running a hand through his hair. “What the hell did they teach you in that clan anyway?”

“Nothing that you’ve learned here I can assure you,” Dick said plainly, not going any deeper than that. “Plus, I’m older-- I have more experience.” 

“Jay only lost because he was a little too confident,” Tim explained, virtually defending his brother. “Besides we don’t practice as much as we used to.” 

Dick watched Tim walk over and help Jason up-- as if he needed any-- but the action was no less peculiar in Dick’s eyes.

“What was the need for it when Bruce went into retirement?” Jason replied.

“You do realize when he dies in a few years, we’ll be taking over the clan right?” Tim sat back down and crossed his arms in a firm manner, watching Jason concur. 

“I can’t disagree with that.”

Dick laughed. “You guys joke around too much.” But he couldn’t help but wonder as to why Bruce went into early retirement? Before he could interrogate them, the alpha in question’s scent intruded Dick’s senses.

“Don’t be so quick to write me off just yet,” Bruce told them, making his presence known. “I have plenty of more years ahead of me before you two take over.”

“That’s if you don't have a blood son.” Jason huffed as he flopped down on the chair next to Tim. “Then we’re both fucked.”

“I wouldn’t mind having a little brother,” Tim added, blatantly eyeing the only omega in the room.

Dick shifted on his feet, quickly becoming interested in tying his shoe again as he made sure not to look at Bruce when he spoke. “Even if you’re not related to Bruce by blood, you’re still his sons,” He swiftly diverted.

“Nicely worded, Master Dick.” Said Alfred who suddenly appeared with four glasses of ice water. 

Dick claimed a cup of water from the table they were sat upon. After thanking Alfred, he took a sip, slowly turning around to face Bruce who was chatting with his sons about nothing in particular. He caught sight of Bruce looking his way but Dick pretended not to notice and turned away. Dick always felt a little awkward when the topic of children was brought up. It was even worse now since he and Bruce weren't exactly talking.

It was the bare minimum when they did, but Dick hadn't appreciated being ordered to go to therapy the other day. Reluctantly, he attended anyway, meeting a clan “associate” named Barbara Gordon. She was a beta, very perceptive, and didn’t bombard Dick with questions like he assumed she would. Belatedly, Dick figured that she was testing the waters, seeing how the omega would react to certain things. It wasn’t until she thanked him for considering therapy an option, that Dick revealed he didn’t have a choice. In a manner of bitterness and animosity, he displayed his resentment towards alpha orders.

From the very beginning, when he’d been “blessed” with being an omega, DS used it to their advantage, changing Dick in ways he couldn’t fathom. Without a doubt, their commands were different from Bruce’s, given that they didn’t affect his glands in a way that they’d waver because he was Dick’s _true_ alpha. Nevertheless, the omega couldn’t handle it very well despite knowing it was the best option.

Dick took another sip, languidly running his tongue across his bottom lip. Holding his confidence in plain sight, he betrayed his prior disregard and stared back at the alpha, letting a small smile grace his lips. “Bruce let's spar.” He declared, placing the cup down on the table.

“Are you asking for an early death?” Jason’s comment further strengthened Dick’s vendetta.

“I’ll be fine.” Dick took extra care to unnecessarily stretch, watching Bruce walk onto the mat with a skeptical look. “You ready, big guy?”

“This won’t be easy for you.” Bruce’s tone was laced with certainty, enough to make Dick roll his eyes.

“Somehow, I think I’ll survive.”

Dick took a stance and without waiting for Tim to say ‘start,’ he threw the first kick that was easily blocked, then another and another. The omega wouldn’t lie and say that he wasn’t just trying to let off a bit of steam but it wasn’t exactly easy. Bruce, _God_ , Bruce, was no walk in the park. He grabbed a hold of him every which way, not letting him escape unless he hit him hard enough or somehow twisted away. He was quick, rough, tricky to get around, and all-around masterful in combat. 

Not once did the alpha waiver nor did Dick. Not even when Bruce’s rough and heavy hands secured the omega's arms behind his back, trapping him in place. His omega recognized his mate's strength and praised it. Bruce was strong; strong enough to protect him, his pack, and maybe their potential pup. 

“Do you yield?” Bruce inquired, hot breath wafting against Dick’s neck. 

Dick removed his thoughts from that innate need to submit and sought to yank himself free once more, before giving up and laying his head back against the alpha’s shoulder. They stared at each other in a familiar position and Dick suddenly felt cheeky. He feigned agreeance, giving a little nod before leaning up and placing a small kiss on the man’s jawline. 

Hearing a small grunt, Dick felt Bruce’s hold slacken, giving the omega all the room he needed to turn around. With a small smirk and twinkling eyes, Dick kissed the alpha fully on the lips, basking in the big hands settling on his hips. It was almost too easy how Dick made Bruce bend to his will. Maybe he wasn’t that mad about the alpha’s order as much as he thought he was.

“I think that blood son is going to come sooner than we think,” Tim whispered to Jason.

“Well, I’m not babysitting.” 

Tim almost agreed if he hadn’t been distracted by Dick knocking Bruce off his feet and pushing him chest first into the ground. 

Dick seated himself on the alpha’s back and held his arms in place. “Do you yield?” He mocked the alpha with a small smile.

Tim slowly grinned, knowing that not just anyone can best Bruce, even if he was a bit… _preoccupied_ with the omega’s advances. Leave it to Dick to change things around, as he had been for the past two and a half months. Their truce aside, Tim found himself sort of… admiring the omega.

“Fucking hell, I should have recorded that.” Jason shook his head in disappointment.

“That’s not happening again,” Bruce assured them when he was finally able to stand up.

“Don’t be so sure of yourself, big guy. I’ve trained for a long time as well,” Dick said. “Maybe I can teach you some new tricks?”

“That goes both ways,” Bruce stated as a fact and Dick couldn’t agree more.

“We’ll learn from one another, then.”

Their casual small talk continued on for some time but at some point, Jason and Tim left, leaving Dick and Bruce alone. They finally talked it out, though Dick didn’t exactly tell Bruce how he felt. But through their soul bond and a couple of sarcastic hints, the alpha seemed to understand. Bruce didn’t exactly apologize, rather he promised to only use an order when absolutely necessary-- whenever that might be. With less repentance than Dick thought was possible, he accepted it, principally because he hated this feeling of the disunion that flowed between them. In his heart, Dick recognized Bruce’s earnest attempt at wanting what’s best for him; for both of them. To make this work, they had to comprise in ways Dick wasn’t used to.

They were going to work through this, for the invisible pull that drew them together in the first place wasn’t going to let them separate anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments appreciated. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> And maybe I'll do Mpreg? I'm not really sure 🤔


	11. Dependency

Five years ago

_Dick scratched at the collar around his neck with indifference, sighing as he stepped over the still frame of a man's body. He scraped his shoes across the ground, knowing that he left behind a trail of blood behind for each step. Progressively, Dick overlooked the endless coves of blood and instead stared straight ahead, pretending not to see what he previously brought forth. It was only when he perceived the sound of his katana scraping across the floor, that he looked down, finding his foot one inch away from another listless body._

_Dick had mastered it. The art of becoming inhumanly detached; exclusively for times such as these, when he was sent out to kill on a spree. He intentionally let his mind become void, empty, barren of all emotion so that he might fulfill the order. An obligation that can only be enacted by someone of his dynamic-- something he couldn’t disobey despite his best efforts._

_Dick sluggishly held up the katana, revealing the amount of blood he shed as the crimson coasted down its sharp edge. In one stroke he swung outward, divesting the weapon of its red stream by splattering it away from himself. He swiftly sheathed his sword and stepped over the poor soul, searching around the room for his accomplice. At some point, while moving through all the bile, he spotted her in the distance as she bent forward, letting her platinum hair sway in the mellow wind._

_“Rose, let’s go.” Dick stared straight ahead at the exit, tone monotonous, as he continued walking forward._

_“Give me a second…”_

_Dick huffed irritably then reluctantly stopped walking and looked at her again. “We need to leave.”_

_“Shhh, Talon… don’t you hear that?”_

_“I don’t hear anything.” He said, growing more frustrated. One of the main reasons Dick hated working with Rose was because she liked to double-check her work and make sure everyone was dead. Dick, on the other hand, liked to get the hell out of there before he broke down._

_“Just listen.”_

_Woefully, a presence announced itself, causing Dick to hinder a step as his ear’s zeroed in on the sound of distant groaning. Dread flowed through the omega when Rose moved forward, forcing him to follow._

_They came upon a pile of debris, shrouding a woman’s legs underneath its weight. The wind shifted, blowing air in their direction and Dick caught a whiff of her scent. Like him, she was an omega, who was letting out copious amounts of distressed pheromones. In his pangs of conscience remorse, he held his nose, attempting to block out the scent even though it was next to impossible. He’d just have to suffer through it._

_“I knew someone was still alive.” Rose declared, observing the black-haired woman._

_Subsequently, she spotted them and spoke in a stiff voice. “Y-you--will...” The omega coughed up after Rose bent to her knees to get a closer look._

_“Huh? What are you saying?” Rose tilted her head, a habit of her playfulness._

_“Rose, get it over with,” Dick said simply as his mind raged with impatience. “We need to report back to the Alpha.”_

_She side-eyed him. “You of all people know how I like to take my time, Talon.”_

_“We don’t have time for this, though.” Dick urged, looking at the exit. “The cops will be here soon.”_

_“Just give me a-- oh! Look, Talon, she’s trying to move away.”_

_Dick forced himself to gaze heavenward. “Just do it already.”_

_“You’re no fun, Talon.”_

_“I--” The omega started again and this time Dick looked down at her, feeling her distress spike. “...come-- DS.”_

_“Did you just say DS?” Rose swiftly pressed her sword to the omega’s neck. “How do you know about us?”_

_“Rose, enough! Kill her.”_

_As quickly as he demanded it, Rose stabbed the woman through the chest with less care than Dick could muster up himself._

_“We have to inform father about our findings.” Rose stood up quickly, finding it easier to walk than Dick could at the moment. “We’ve essentially been compromised. He won't be glad when he hears about this. Let’s go.”_

_Rose brushed past Dick, leaving him to gaze upon the fellow omega bleeding out on the ground. Before he could process what he was doing, his feet moved toward the woman with a scent of an omega in agony--it was different and unlike anything he’d smelt before--_

_“Come on, Talon!” Rose shouted from behind him._

_Dick paused and collected his thoughts. He needed to leave. He moved backward, letting his eyes linger on the woman a little longer before running off after Rose. It was better not to think in moments like these; it was better to become disconnected and lose all sense of rationality. Until the order was complete, Dick would remain that way; until it was complete, Dick wouldn’t cry..._

“Dick?”

“Huh?” Dick blinked, refocusing his vision on Barbara sitting in front of him.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Oh… no, sorry.” Dick let out a bashful laugh, averting his gaze. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“I see,” She gave a soft smile. “Well, I asked why you don’t like wearing a collar?”

Dick glanced back at her, hovering there for less than a second before looking off to the side. “It’s not that I have a problem with them or anything, it’s just… it reminds me of certain things I’d rather not remember.”

“You’re doing it again, Dick.” She said calmly, ambled away in a comfy armchair. “We spoke about this last week-- about you not wanting to remember things.”

“But I-- it’s the truth.” Dick felt himself shrugging, not really sure how to respond. 

Keeping her face completely neutral, Barbara tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Do you believe that you’re a bad person, Dick?”

The omega’s eyebrows knitted in a frown, confusion whirling in his mind. _A bad person?_ _Of course,_ I’m _a bad person._ “Yes.” He said without a second thought.

“Why is that?”

“You know why,” Dick replied.

“Yes, I know of your previous occupation but I also remember you telling me that you had no choice. Just like you had no choice in coming here.” The beta answered accordingly, expertly bypassing Dick’s hesitation to speak. “So tell me, Dick, why do you think you’re a bad person?”

“...I’ve killed people.” His voice came out in a whisper. “A lot of people-- in cold blood. Without a second thought.”

“Have you ever felt guilty?”

During those times he’d tried so hard to take his mind elsewhere, that he wasn’t sure.“I… I don’t know.” Dick noticed he was clenching his teeth and forced his jaw to slacken. 

Barbara tilted her head, expression still unreadable, but Dick was sure she didn’t believe him. “Look at where you are compared to almost three months ago. You’re here, whether it’s with Bruce or in my office, you’re doing something that says you do feel guilty... and you’ve felt guilty ever since you no longer had a choice.” 

When Dick didn’t respond, the beta continued. “I’ve told you this before. Suppression works for a while and is sometimes effective, but then it comes to a point where there’s just too much build-up to manage. It’s best to let things out one at a time.”

“I can’t promise I’ll be able to do that any time soon.” He said tentatively, fickleness in his articulation.

“Don’t worry, we’ll work on that.” She said simply, but Dick was still uncertain about a number of things and he’d probably never be ready to talk about them.  
  


~*~

“How was the shrink?” Jason asked as soon as Dick got slid into the passenger seat.

Dick rolled his eyes. “Don’t call her that.”

“Trust me,” Jason looked at the rearview camera and backed out of the parking spot. “I’ve called Babs much worse. As a joke of course.”

“I can’t say I don’t believe you.” The omega collapsed against the seat in a stupor, not in the mood to retort playfully. He ignored Jason who was observing him from his peripheral and checked his phone. He read a message from Bruce saying that he’d be home late, _unfortunately._ Dick huffed in disappointment, wanting nothing more than to be in his alpha’s arms at the moment. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but today was just one of those days that he _needed_ comfort. His omega sought to have it at the most random moments-- more often than not.

Dick sighed again, choosing to preoccupy himself by looking out the window. The car slowed to a stop at an intersection and Dick found himself watching people loiter along the sidewalk, seeing them smile and laugh. _So open; so carefree… so lucky to have never suffered..._

Growing weary, the omega looked away, casting his attention toward the windshield as soon as the traffic light changed green. It was only when the car turned left, changing the sunlight’s position, that he noticed a shimmer coming from the crevice underneath the glove department. Letting curiosity get the best of him, Dick reached forward, letting his fingers touch something cool before pulling the object out from its hoister.

“What the hell is this, Jason?” Dick asked while haphazardly holding up a silver encased gun.

“A gun.”

“No shit. Why the hell is it in the car?”

“Listen, you know as well as I do how Bruce is,” Jason said, not looking away from the road. “He’d never send me out here to get you without some sort of protection.”

“So you brought a gun?”

“I’m not sure how much Bruce has told you about the clan but when it comes to our own, we take things _very_ seriously.”

“Your own, huh?”

“I can’t speak on Tim’s behalf, but I figured since you’re going to be here for a while, I might as well get used to it.”

Dick finally let out a chuckle, placing the gun back where he found it. “How nice of you to say.” He teased, feeling his distress slowly subside. It was apparent that Jason had scented his anguish and released his pheromones to soothe him-- so naturally too. Dick probably didn’t notice it at first because they weren’t as controlled as Bruce’s were. They’d waver and fluctuate in and out before the omega could even recognize them. Nonetheless, he appreciated the attempt. “So you can be nice when you want to be,” Dick commented, sinking further into the warm seat.

“I’m nice all the time.” 

“Not to Tim.” Dick mused. 

“I’m his older brother, what do you expect?”

“Well, at least he forgives you for it. We only get along because of our truce.” 

Jason nodded, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. "He did mention something like that."

Dick turned to the alpha with an inquisitive brow. "He talks about me behind my back doesn’t he?”

The turn signal flickered on as Jason answered. “On occasion.”

“I knew it."

"It’s not _always_ bad stuff.” The alpha easily defended. “It varies depending on his mood.”

"A true teenager if I ever saw one.” Dick sighed. “It’s fine though, I understand that he’s worried about you all getting hurt on my behalf... I am too.”

“It’s always taken a while for Tim to warm up to people. You know long it took Tim to warm up to Bruce after being adopted? A whole damn year.”

“Seriously?”

Jason nodded, the corners of his mouth seemed to droop as he continued. “It’s even worse now, considering his… lack of scent.”

“He’s closed himself off,” Dick said, relating to that on a deeper level.

“Yeah… he has.” Jason stared straight ahead, turning down the long pathway that led to the manor. “Don’t worry about it, once he presents, he’ll be the most conceited person we’ll know.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s already like that now.” Dick joked around.

“For your safety, I won’t tell him you said that.”

The omega couldn’t help but laugh, feeling the last of his distress dissipate into thin air. “We should talk more often, Jason. It’s kind of nice.”

The alpha shrugged. “Sounds cool, but only if you ask Bruce to raise my allowance.”

Dick chuckled, sharing a smile with the alpha. “Deal.”

  
  


~*~

Dick came out of the shower after having dried off and changed into a t-shirt and a pair of boxer briefs. He sat down on the bed, letting the towel on his head off slip onto his shoulders then checked his phone. After telling Bruce he’d made it back to the house, the alpha hadn’t responded. Even now, the message hadn’t been read, leaving Dick with an empty mind. 

Since Dick’s been here, Bruce had taken it upon himself to work from home, letting his business manager, Lucius Fox, take care of everything at the office. It’s been three months since Bruce took a leave of absence so it made sense for him to go to the office physically-- it’s just that Dick wasn’t sure he was ready for that yet. Just a couple of hours without the alpha had Dick feeling anxious. _When had he started becoming so dependent on his alpha?_

Running a hand through his damp hair, Dick took a deep breath, catching a whiff of his alpha’s scent surrounding the room. _He needed more,_ Dick’s omega decided. He stood, dropping the towel on the bench at the foot of the bed as he headed toward the long dresser. Without batting an eye, Dick opened the top drawer, catching a whiff of detergent and a stronger scent of alpha pheromones.

He eyed the perfectly folded t-shirts, colors ranging from black to white. Dick went for a gray one, watching it unfold with a nimble movement. Bruce was bigger than him in frame and height so he was sure the shirt would at least reach the top of his hips. The omega quickly switched shirts, sniffing the collar as he brought it past his nose. Since the very beginning, Dick’s always found his alpha’s smell remarkably addicting. More so now, since he was presently companionless. 

Dick indolently made his way over to the bed, pulled back the covers, and laid his head down on one of Bruce’s pillows. He missed being in the arms of the man who swore to relieve him of all his misery; in that heavenly warmth that no one else could provide. He was almost like a child. That same child who waited for his parents to come back to the trailer after another long performance. Dick wanted to see them before he went to bed; he wanted them to praise him for doing a good job. He’d try and force himself to stay awake but no matter how hard he tried, Dick always ended up falling asleep. He’d dream of the next day, his next jump, his next landing and when he’d stick it, his parents would smile. 

_If only they could see him now. Having found that soul mate not many had a chance to find. They’d be overjoyed and Dick would be happy, for his life would be different. He’d have his family, his mate, his happiness, and would no longer have to dream about better days..._

.

.

.

Dick hummed, feeling something warm linger against his cheek, stirring his consciousness. He opened his eyes to a dark room, soon alight by the warm hues from the lamp on the nightstand. His eyes slimmed, affected by the light’s rapid suddenness, causing him to lazily blink. It was only when he spotted Bruce fiddling with the alarm clock, that he surrendered his frustration and let a smile grace his lips.

“Bruce.” He said drowsily.

Bruce turned around his stern expression warming at the sight of his omega. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

“I don’t mind.” Dick eyed the clock Bruce set down, reading the time ‘12:23 am.’ “Did you just get back?”

“About an hour ago.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You were asleep.”

“You should have woken me up.” The omega lamented, voice still laden with sleep. “I wanted to see you...” 

“You see me now.” The alpha’s eyes gleamed with soft amusement and placid affection.

“I’m being serious, Bruce.” Dick’s fretful tone betrayed the feelings of his prior loneliness, to the extent of speaking without regard. “... _I missed you._ ”

Without saying a word, Bruce reached out, brushing a thumb across Dick’s cheek before leaning down and capturing his lips. The omega relaxed against the bed, eyelids sagging in the tranquil bliss his alpha’s kiss granted. The flow was stagnant, _soft… warm… quavering,_ and Dick’s mind was sailing in the depths of some forgotten ocean. _He had missed him; he had missed him with his whole being._ It was silly-- he was only gone for one day but the invisible allure wasn’t one to free him of his fate. Dick’s glands throbbed as he subsequently inched toward the alpha.

Their shared feelings led Bruce to slip under the covers, moving in between Dick’s legs and placing his arms on either side of his head. Being trapped between Bruce’s robust warmth, Dick squeezed his bare shoulders, tongue begging to enter his alpha’s mouth. Lamentably, the omega was denied admission when Bruce abandoned their passion by pulling back. Dick was unable to open his eyes for a moment, cracking them only when his alpha spoke.

“You’re wearing my shirt.”

Dick simpered, heat creeping onto his cheeks. “It... has your scent.”

Something flickered in the alpha’s eyes then, leading him to bend down and kiss the juncture of Dick’s neck. The omega bared his neck, crooning softly as he closed his eyes once more.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” Bruce confessed tenderly.

Dick shifted, sluggishly widening his legs around the alpha’s sides. The flesh of his inner thighs tingled, feeling something hard pressing against his crotch. “I can only guess...” The omega breathed, taking in his alpha’s suggestive expression, making him explicitly aware that Bruce was only in his underwear-- _as he was every night._

Dick gulped as an unforeseen warmth spread through his body-- the feeling immensely duller than it was during his heat, but no less pleasing. He took a deep breath before Bruce drew him into another kiss laden with more intensity than the last time. The omega took it in stride, not sure how to react when his alpha began to rock against his crotch. “Bruce.” He gasped into his mouth, trying to will his pondering thoughts of ineptness away. Dick squirmed and turned his head to the side, feeling his own cock twitch with life as the alpha continued his rut.

Bruce reveals his pleasure through a quiet hum, mouthing against Dick’s neck, sensually running a hand under his shirt and up his chest. As the hem was rolled up, cool air spilled over his undress, making the omega involuntarily shiver. A whimper announced the omega’s pleasure while his heartbeat gave way to his nervousness. _It felt good. So good._ But for some reason, Dick was shying away. It was evident that Bruce wanted to go further-- he had been for a while now _. But Dick wasn’t ready. Kissing was one thing but going any further was…_

Dick brought an arm over his mouth, softening the moan that escaped briefly after he began to slowly grind upwards. 

“Don’t,” Bruce grumbled, pulling Dick’s arm away from his face. 

Dick peeked at Bruce from under his lashes and was caught under his intense stare. “Someone could hear…” He whispered.

“The room’s soundproof,” Bruce affirmed, slipping down to his elbows, his lips now ghosting over the omegas. “I want to hear you.”

Before Dick could protest further, Bruce rolled his hips down, bringing out a mellow gasp. _Dick could no longer refuse._ Through their steady movement, Bruce’s mouth traveled down to Dick’s chest, hot breath gliding over his hardening nipples. The feeling Dick had when the alpha latched on was unpredictable. His nipples were unexpectedly sensitive, drawing out a lengthy moan.

“Not there… Bruce...” Dick panted, feeling his heart skitter. “Only… only kissing--”

“I am only kissing you.” Bruce declared, lightly pecking his nipple.

Dick almost laughed and he would’ve if Bruce would stop his lazy ministrations, causing him to steadily groan. The omega could feel the dampness of his underwear sticking to his cock when Bruce sat up on his knees, peering down at Dick.

“You’re sensitive…” Bruce said as he continued to dry hump against Dick’s groin. “And hesitant… as if you were a virgin.”

Dick’s breath hitched as he gripped the sheets, succumbing to the stimulus of his throbbing cock. Through his pleasure, he avoided Bruce’s prying stare, working up the confidence to mutter a quiet, _“I am…”_ before everything went still.

Embarrassment spiraled through the omega as he forced himself to look at Bruce’s reaction. What he hadn’t expected was a surge of satisfaction to fill his mind, those feelings of which belonged to no one other than his alpha. All at once, Dick found his hips being roughly handled, pulled back and forth at a persistent pace.

Dick was literally yanked from his moment of truth, not really knowing what he was worried about in the first place. He instantly recognized his mistake in underestimating Bruce’s possessiveness. Granted Dick would have been happy being Bruce’s first as well but who was he kidding? An amateur probably wouldn’t make him feel this good.

“Fuck--” The omega cursed, back arching as he pushing upward, trying to get as much friction as he could. There was no question in Dick’s mind that Bruce was an experienced lover. Something as simple as rubbing against one another shouldn’t make Dick feel this enraptured. But it did. It's because of the way the alpha surrounded him. Bruce’s big hands, his lips running across his flushed skin, his furrowed brows, and most of all, his feelings revealed his immense infatuation for the omega. 

“Bru--Bruce I’m…!” Dick felt an ache somewhere that had yet to be touched; one place he hadn’t even touched himself but he wished Bruce would as it clenched around nothing at all. Dick came at the thought, it was sudden, catching him by surprise, and the alpha’s lips against his made it all the more pleasurable. The omega tightened his legs around Bruce’s back, whimpering into his wet mouth, wishing it didn’t end as soon as it did. Regretfully, he was too lost in the haze of riding out the rest of his climax to feel the alpha come soon after.

Their slow-moving mouths no longer met when Bruce wandered away, laying his head on Dick’s shoulder. There, the omega inhaled the drastic scent of their arousal as it died down, bringing his attention to their damp underwear. He’d definitely have to take another shower now-- with Bruce this time.

“I’m sorry.” The alpha murmured after a long while of coming down from their high.

“About what?” 

“I couldn’t stop myself. You’re just so…” Bruce breathed in the omega’s scent, and Dick could have sworn he felt the alpha smile on the crook of his shoulder.

“It’s fine,” Dick replied softly. “I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy it.” _Because he did… a lot._

Bruce sat up on his elbows, after placing a chaste kiss on Dick’s neck and stared down at the omega. Dick thought he looked attractive with his hair disheveled and instinctively carded a hand through it. “What’s wrong?” Dick asked after a moment of just staring into each other's eyes, taking in the cozy ambiance.

“I thought…” Bruce hesitated. “I assumed that they had probably…”

He didn’t need to say any more for Dick to understand what he meant. It was a logical assumption but… “No, they never touched me. No one has.” 

“Good.”

With the alpha’s visible relief, Dick ran a hand down Bruce’s back and reassured him. “You’re the only one.” _And would forever be the only one. The omega didn’t need anyone else._

Dick almost missed it, but Bruce smiled, providing a blissful mood followed by a content rumble in his chest. The omega swooned, pulling his alpha down for another slow kiss. _He decided then, that kissing Bruce was his favorite thing._

“Dick,” Bruce said against his lips.

“Mm?”

“I... want you to become my mate officially and... form a bond with me.”

It was at this point that Dick realized his next heat was essentially a month away and that he’d most likely end up saying yes.

_Maybe..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is long 😅, I just couldn't stop writing.
> 
> Comments appreciated! I hope you enjoyed!


	12. The Plan

It was an accident when Dick stumbled across the handwritten letter. It just so happened to be stuffed in the middle of a book he randomly picked out in the Manor’s library. Dick didn’t normally like to read and he’d only been drawn towards the novel because Bruce’s pheromones hovered around its casing, giving Dick all the evidence he needed to know that it was recently used.

 _The Long Goodbye, by Philip Marlowe,_ the cover read, and Dick opened it out of curiosity, wanting to know more about his alpha’s interest. Instead, he found something that furthered in habitual prying.

**_Dear Bruce,_ **

**_What is this? Almost my 50th letter? Probably, but I’m not sure anymore. Well, it doesn't matter, you already know you'll be getting one every time I go out of the country. Which happens to be a lot as of late. But you know how my dad is. With him, it’s always about work and it always will be. He’s almost like you in that retrospect. Except, I know you actually care about me... as you always have._ **

**_Where I am right now, there’s no wifi again, and I know you won’t be getting this letter anytime soon but once I get back, my dad will want my final answer. But I’m not ready to give it to him. I’m afraid. There’s just so much pressure on me at the moment and I’m tired of being in the spotlight all the time. I wish we could go back to being children again._ **

**_We were so free back then and so reckless. Remember that old tv show we used to watch together? The one that made you laugh for hours? I was going to surprise you when I got back but I might as well tell you now. I found the complete DVD set at a thrift store. Maybe we can binge? Or at least try too. Unfortunately, we’re grown now and don’t have enough time anymore. We’ve moved on with our lives. Well, I have..._ **

**_I’m going to be straight forward and say that when I get back, I want you to have also made your final decision. It’s been almost ten years, Bruce… I’ve been lenient for so long but it’s time to let it go._ **

**_You always fight me on this but trust me, he’s gone. Don’t start blaming yourself again, either. You know as well as I do that it’s not your fault. No one could have seen it coming. So, I ask you again to please consider what I have to offer, and let’s move forward together. Please..._ **

**_I have to make a quick stop before I make it back to Gotham but I’ll make sure and bring back your favorite Tannat wine. See you in three weeks, from there, I hope then we can reach a permanent agreement._ **

**_Sincerely,_ **

**_S.K._ **

“S.K.,” Dick spoke the letters out loud, tracing the fine cursive with his fingers. _A childhood friend?_ That was most likely it. The contents of the letter didn’t seem to allude to anything else, however, the topic seemed to have a weight to it that Dick didn’t understand. What was the final decision that needed to be made? Furthermore, who had Bruce lost that this person so blatantly wanted him to forget?

_How much did Dick actually know about Bruce?_

Besides what’s been presented to him on a daily basis, there was nothing much he could say he knew about Bruce Wayne. His habits, yes. His mannerisms, almost down to a tee. His scent, he knew like the back of his hand. His training regimen, something he’d been teaching Dick as of late. His job, he works a lot. His public reputation, drastically different from how he actually is.

But when it comes to his past… his favorite things… his dreams and unfulfilled aspirations… his hobbies… all of them were blank in Dick’s mind.

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been paying attention because he always paid attention when it came to Bruce. _Always._ It was just Bruce, who was the one not letting him in. The alpha always said things in a vague manner, never going any further and Dick couldn’t believe it took him this long to notice. 

Yesterday, he said yes to forming a bond with Bruce but now he was becoming a little skeptical about his decision. He wanted to get to know Bruce, _in full,_ and break down all his walls just like this person seemed to have done. Granted, they were childhood friends but still, Dick wanted to know more.

On that basis, Dick began to search throughout the library for the other fifty or so letters. He gave it his all, finding nothing in return, and ended up looking around for far longer than he intended to-- if Jason’s sudden presence was anything to go by.

Dick quickly stood up, having bent to his knees to raid the lower bookshelf, upon Jason’s arrival. “Hey Jay, you’re back early.” He said while dusting off his knees.

“No, I’m back on time.”

“Really?” Dick pulled out his phone to check the time. It was already past 1 pm and on a Wednesday, that’s the time Jason usually got back. “Oh… I must have lost track.”

“Looks like it.” Jason walked further into the room and toward the omega. “I’m surprised to find you in here.”

“I’m just looking around and reading a bit.”

Jason stopped in front of the coffee table, folding his arms as per usual. “I’ve never exactly seen you read before.”

Dick tilted his head. “I feel like you’re implying something.” 

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.”

With a smile, Dick rolled his eyes, “It’s not like I’ve never read before. Besides, this isn’t a book.” He walked over to the table, retrieved the old envelope, and waved it back and forth. “I was reading this letter that I found.” 

Jason leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse before Dick got the hint and handed it to him. 

“Apparently, there’s more around here, somewhere.” Dick continued, watching as Jason opened and unfolded the paper with disinterest. “You don’t think Bruce would mind if I search around a bit more? Because I kind of want to see the rest of them.”

Jason read the first line of the letter, eyes widening a fraction. 

“I had the same reaction. I could never write that neat.” Dick commented with a heedless smile. “You wouldn’t happen to know a person that goes by S.K., would you?”

“Sorry, I can’t help you with that,” Jason said with a sudden tightness in his voice as he intently refolded the piece of paper. “Wanna play some video games?”

“Um, sure?”

“Cool, let's go.”

“Okay--wait, Jason,” Dick stammered, not expecting the alpha to grab his wrist and tug him out of the door. “Hey, you don’t have to pull me." He said, lightly tugging his arm away, right as the alpha pocketed the letter. Dick frowned, being unclear as to why the alpha had a sudden impulse to play video games but he just went along with it. He was bored anyway, doing something else might take his mind off of things and perhaps, he’d learn a little more about Bruce from the people who’d known him the longest.

~*~

_“A doctor working at the General Gotham Hospital was arrested Friday afternoon for attacking a patient in a bathroom. Reports say that the doctor was beaten badly after his attempted assault and that he was detained soon after. The victim’s name has been concealed for public viewing but we encourage…”_

Dick stared wide-eyed at the television, watching as a mug-shot of Grant, popped up on the screen with the fake name ‘Adam Miller’, underneath. He slowly placed his soda can down on the coaster before peering at Jason and Tim sitting on the other couch. They both mimicked his stunned expression.

Dick didn’t loiter for long as he quickly pulled out his cellphone and called Bruce, setting it on speaker mode when Tim and Jason moved to his side of the couch. The alpha picked up after the second ring and Dick readied his dispute.

_“Dick, I was just about to--”_

“You told the police?!” Dick cut him off.

_“I-- what? What are you talking about?”_

“About the hospital and Grant! You told the police?!”

_“...That was supposed to be kept in the dark.”_

Dick scoffed, running a hand through his hair. “What do you mean kept in the dark? It’s all over the news, Bruce.”

“It was on GNN,” Tim piped in, side-eyeing the peeved omega. “The only name that wasn’t revealed was Dick’s.”

“I thought you said you handled everything?” Dick couldn’t help but jump back in. He was just so angry for trusting Bruce to tell him everything outright. They’ve had this problem since the beginning and Dick, for the life of him, couldn’t understand why his alpha was like this. “I didn’t think you’d involve the police, of all things. And it happened over 2 weeks ago. Why are they just now reporting this?” 

_“Dick, everything is going to be alright.”_

“It won’t. His face is all over the news… DS is going to go after him.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Jason asked. “Wouldn’t you rather have him dead anyway?”

“Jay, it’s not that simple. DS is going to want to know why he attacked a patient and _who_ that patient was that led him to this point. They’re going to find me.”

 _“They’re not going to find you,”_ Bruce reassured. _“I’ve taken care of everything concerning the evidence of your presence at the hospital that day. All the video footage is gone.”_

“How was I supposed to know that? You just-- I wish you would stop keeping these types of things from me.” Dick slouched forward, resting an elbow on his knee as he persistently ambushed the alpha with the issue. “Why is it so hard for you to do that, Bruce?”

Bruce kept quiet and Dick looked around the room, finding Tim and Jason overtly avoiding his stare. Was he missing something? The reason why Bruce was so protective and evasive felt like it was being hidden. 

“Nevermind…” Dick muttered, breaking the silence as he stared down at the caller id screen. “Let’s just come up with a plan.” 

As much as Dick wanted to, he wasn’t going to ask Bruce to open up to him when he, himself, still had things to hide. Besides, there were more important things to worry about right now.

“Who is this Grant guy anyway?” Jason asked. “Is he _that_ important?” 

“He’s the oldest son of the Alp-- of the clan leader.”

“He would kill his own son?”

“Yes, he would. They’d never miss a chance like this,” Dick confirmed, rubbing his temple in frustration. “DS usually avoids doing anything in public but since the police are involved now, this is a code red. They’d kill him in a playground full of screaming children if they have to.” It didn’t matter if he was the son of the clan leader or not… no one was free from that man’s clutches.

“That’s insane,” Jason said and Dick agreed.

“Maybe…” Tim spoke, just as Dick settled back against the couch. “We can get some information out of him.”

“How would we do that?” Dick inquired.

“Well, as you can see, Bruce has a sort of close relationship with the commissioner. Sort of… close...” Tim reiterated. 

“Sort of?” Dick asked, wondering even more as to why Bruce told the commissioner when they weren’t even that close?

“More on that later but I was thinking that maybe we could attend the police’s interrogation-- that is if Bruce gets permission. Then you can find out why they’re after Bruce and why they want to keep you alive?”

Dick looked at Tim and nodded. “That plan sounds fine actually… but it’s risky. DS will surely be there.”

_“You’re saying that they’ll kill him during the interrogation?”_

“During, before, after. Any of those times are a possibility.” Dick answered the alpha. “But I know for sure that they’ll be there.”

“I’m guessing you know this because you’ve killed someone in a similar situation, right?” Tim asked, seemingly innocent but the glint in his eyes said otherwise.

 _“Tim,”_ Bruce warned. 

“I’m just asking a question.” Tim shrugged. “I mean isn’t it about time we learned at least a _little bit_ about your time spent in DS?”

“You act like I haven’t told you anything at all.” 

He’s told them a lot, honestly. He’s told them about DS’s twenty-plus base locations, his old apartment, and a few names here and there. Dick couldn’t give them as much information as he wanted to. Mostly because a lot of it had been withheld from him, on the off chance that he’d end up in a situation exactly like this one. 

When Dick was still working for DS, all he did was eat, sleep, train, and complete the missions assigned to him. On occasion, he’d work with some of the other members but overall, Dick’s prior lifestyle was depressing, rigorous, and ceaselessly tedious. It was only ever so often that he’d be forced out of that routine by either Rose or the clan leader, himself. They seemed to have taken an _unusual_ liking towards him-- one that included various dealings Dick would forever keep out of his thoughts. They weren’t ever sexual, they were just… _degrading._

“Tim, why don’t you just back off already? He’s not ready to talk about that stuff yet.” Jason spoke in Dick’s defense, his voice appeasing to the ears of the omega’s distress. 

Tim was a bit startled, not expecting Jason to respond in that manner. “Sorry…” He muttered quietly, more so to Jason than to Dick, but was ignored by both.

“Let's go with that plan. Bruce, think you can get the cops to set this up by tomorrow?” Dick proposed, waiting for Bruce to respond, and eventually, he did but he didn’t seem too thrilled about it.

_“I’ll contact the commissioner.”_

“Alright, good.” Dick breathed a sigh of relief. “And while you’re doing that, I’ll go and ransack through your weapon collection, because unfortunately, we’re going to need them.”

~*~

“Welcome back,” Dick said as Bruce walked into the hallway just outside the entertainment room. The omega leaned over the back of the couch, watching as Bruce stopped mid-step, turning his head to face him. The room was dark, except for the light coming from the muted flat-screen Tv, flickering splashes of white light across the alpha’s face.

“Dick.” Bruce addressed him in a wary voice, evidently staying at a safe distance. “I thought you’d be asleep.” 

“It’s only ten o’clock, Bruce. I thought I’d wait up for you.” Dick answered, sensually motioning Bruce to come hither with a single finger. “Why are you standing all the way over there, come here.”

Bruce pivoted on his heel, walking towards the omega until he was hovering over the back of the couch. In the low light, Dick couldn’t read his expression but he knew from the alpha’s lack of “I’m home” kisses, that he was being hesitant. 

Dick sighed, “I’m not mad at you anymore, Bruce.” He said softly, tugging on the bottom of Bruce’s tie to bring him down for a quick kiss. They parted, only for Dick to sense his alpha’s doubt. “I’m really not mad anymore. Actually, I stayed awake so I could say I’m sorry for going off on you earlier.”

“No, I was the one being difficult.”

Dick gave a breathy laugh. _“Extremely_ difficult. We both are though.” He ran his hands up Bruce’s chest, stopping to tamper with the lapels on his suit. “Let’s try not to fight as much.” 

“That’s what I’ve been trying to prevent.” Bruce insisted lightly as he walked around the couch and sat next to the omega.

“Really? Bruce, I’m sorry but your attempts are… questionable.” Dick playfully patted the alpha’s arm. “But I appreciate the effort.” He concluded, naturally moving to straddle the alpha’s thighs. Now that they were face to face, Dick could make out Bruce’s worry from the line that appeared between his brows. But his worry wouldn’t be able to change the future events that _needed_ to happen. They needed to get rid of DS, and that meant putting their lives on the line. 

“Bruce, I want us to be able to communicate; to tell each other everything.” Dick started, figuring that ignoring the problem wouldn’t help improve the situation.

“I just don’t want anything to happen to you.” The ‘ _again,’_ was left unsaid.

“You have to understand why I came here. Yes, you’re my soulmate but you told me you’d help me get rid of them. We’re supposed to work together.” Dick pressed convincingly, not once breaking the alpha’s stare. “I know I have some problems I need to handle on my own, but that doesn’t give you the right to keep things from me and to keep me locked away because you’re worried.” The crease between Bruce’s brow seemed to disappear as Dick went on.

“I want to be able to walk outside without looking over my shoulder in fear, or having you and Jason trialing after me 24/7. I want to put a stop to DS so they can’t manipulate anyone else; anymore… children.” Dick finished, watching the alpha silently contemplate his words.

It didn’t take that long for the alpha to answer, and yet he still sounded hesitant when he spoke. “From now on... I will try not to keep anything from you and I’ll include you in the decision making.” 

“Promise me this time,” Dick said, considering the last time they had this conversation, wasn’t that long ago. 

“...I promise.” He said in a low voice, sealing the spoken deal with two words.

The omega sighed with relief, knowing that the alpha was telling the truth this time around. “Thank you.” Dick grinned, adjusting himself so he could be flush against the alpha as they kissed, up until his knee hit something and knocked it onto the floor. 

“Shit,” Dick muttered as he begrudgingly removed himself from Bruce’s lap to pick up the old box he’d placed on the couch earlier that evening.

“What’s that?” Bruce questioned as Dick sat back down next to him, feeling a little eager to show the alpha what was in the box.

“These are some of your old DVDs.”

The alpha went stiff next to him.

“Alfred gave them to me.” Joy danced through Dick’s heart as he pulled out the box set he suspected the letter to be talking about. When he spoke to Alfred about it, he silently went to retrieve some of Bruce’s old things. Dick hoped Bruce would be just as happy as he was when he saw them.

“There’s old videotapes in here too. I was surprised when Alfred said that these were some of your favorite shows, I’ve never heard of them before. But I was thinking maybe we can watch them together.” He smiled brightly at Bruce, expecting their expressions to emulate one another but that wasn’t what he got. 

Bruce cast him a veiled gaze, eyes flickering toward the box and lingering there. Dick could sense it then, the sorrow that tore at his chest and in turn, tore at Dicks own. It dragged his mood down into the depths of the sea and made Dick wonder what he did wrong?

“Bruce, you okay?”

The alpha blinked, bringing his gaze back to Dick, one that suggested that he just tucked something into the back of his mind. 

“I’m just a little tired.” He cleared his throat and stood up, his stagnant emotions being pulled along with him. The further apart they were, the less Dick could feel.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No, you did nothing wrong.” Bruce rubbed a thumb over Dick’s cheek, reassuring him with a trivial smile. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m just glad that you’re here... with me.” The alpha leaned down to kiss Dick on the forehead before pulling away and saying a quick ‘goodnight.’

“Night,” Dick said after he had already left the room. The omega’s smile had long since disappeared as he inspected the box and its vintage contents. 

He was no closer to connecting with Bruce at all. In fact, he felt like he'd just been pushed back even further. But somewhere deep down, he knew he wasn’t the one to blame. He couldn’t have been. He would never make his alpha that sad. No, it had something to do with this box; with that letter; with Bruce’s past.

It wasn’t his fault.

_It was S.K’s._


	13. Implementation

All members of the Dark Knight clan resided together and formed a pack during the reign of Bruce’s Great-grandfather. From the very beginning, when Gotham was in more disarray than it was now, the clan worked as vigilantes, with the bat symbol as its totem. They moved in secret to bring Gotham out of the shadows of the organizations that dared to corrupt it.

The clan members appealed to the pack's harmony and defended themselves against enemies by launching their own attacks. Furthermore, they formed associations with the authorities to protect their common interest. Unfortunately, this alliance did not last for long _._ As expected, the clan didn’t dare shy away from killing people, for they had quite a hefty number of deaths on their hands. 

This was news to Dick when he learned about their ethics--to only kill when needed--especially since he’d promised not to kill ever again. For the time being, Dick wasn't so sure about being able to keep that promise because now he had a choice in the matter… 

The clan made it their right to deem someone worthy of death and that naturally posed a problem with the police, hence Bruce’s conflict with the commissioner. From further inspection, it would seem that their families had some past dealings even before Bruce was born. The trouble began during Bruce’s great grandfather’s reign, where the old man decided to delve deeper into increasing his wealth by indulging in a not so legal business. He invested a small sum of money in a systematic underground drug ring to break cover and cultivate his family’s name next to having more criminal support. 

The Gordon family didn’t take too kindly to that, claiming that the clan was tarnishing their original goal. Sadly, Bruce’s Great-grandfather wouldn’t listen and chose money over friendship. And so, their paths split. It wasn’t until Bruce’s grandfather took over and divested their family’s legacy from the drug money by donating it to another associate family, who had a solid hold on an upcoming enterprise. The Calabrese’s used the money to launch their Omegan health research company, known today as _Surge Enterprises._ All while Bruce’s grandfather started his own company called _Wayne Enterprises._

This act of benevolence didn’t necessarily fix the relationship between the two families because the Dark Knight's killing ethics were still the same. But the tension was dull enough so that they could work together.

“So,” Jason said as he dropped rounds into his gun one by one. “You really think DS assassins are better fighters than us?”

“No, it varies,” Dick confirmed, strapping one last blade to his right calve. “Not all of them were trained by the clan leader. Some are just hoodlums looking to get a big sum of money.”

“Sounds like this is going to be easy.”

“Don’t get full of yourself. For all I know, they’ll send Rose and Joey after him.” Dick advised him. “Those two are not so easy to take down.”

“You’ll move when I tell you too.” Bruce jumped in, knowing that Jason was thinking of a sarcastic reply.

“Got it, boss.”

“Tim, how does it look?” Bruce asked while peeking out the tinted car window before Tim’s voice ran throughout their earpieces.

_“ **There’s nothing suspicious around you right now. The heat signals are mostly centered inside the GCPD building.** ” _

Bruce turned to Dick as he grabbed the car handle. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” Dick said solemnly. With his disguise in place, he stepped out of the car after Bruce, shivering slightly at the cool air. He stuffed his hands in his jacket pocket, snuggling within its warmth, stepping closer to Bruce who held an umbrella over their heads. As per usual, the sunny days in Gotham never lasted long and with the clouds rolling in, the rain came with it. 

Hearing the car drive away behind him, Dick looked up at the GCPD sign on the building, letting Bruce guide him through the front door. Once they were inside, Dick waited a little ways away from the door, next to an empty front desk as Bruce left the umbrella in the rack.

“Mr. Wayne.” A gruff voice echoed throughout the hall, leading Dick to observe the older man walking toward them. 

“I told you, you could call me Bruce.” 

“Bruce then.” They shook hands then Gordon glimpsed at Dick who placed himself next to his alpha. Dick offered the older alpha a small smile, while Bruce discretely introduced him without giving away his name, prompting the commissioner to take them to a more secluded room.

“So you’re the one Barbara has been seeing?” The commissioner said once they were behind closed doors in the observation room.

“Yeah, that’s me. I’m Richard Grayson, but I go by Dick.” The omega stuck out his hand but the greeting was not returned. 

_As expected._

Gordon narrowed his eyes at the omega with a look filled with animosity. “An assassin in a police station, except he’s not in handcuffs.”

Dick let his hand fall to his side. “I can understand why you’re cautious about me--”

“I’m more than just cautious. I should have you detained right now.”

Bruce lightly growled at the other alpha who threatened his omega, tightening a hand around Dick’s waist.

“It’s okay, Bruce.” Dick rubbed his alpha’s arm, bringing his attention back to the commissioner, mirroring Bruce’s frown. “I’m not going to defend myself because I know what I’ve done… I’m sure this won’t change your opinion but…” Dick took a deep breath, his voice coming out softer as it normally did when he talked about his past. “...I was only ten years old and I’d just presented.” Dick continued and Gordon’s glare faltered. “I didn’t understand why I couldn’t defy… _that man's_ orders back then but I’m sure you know very well as to why seeing as you’re an alpha yourself…” 

Dick left it at that, knowing that both Tim and Jason heard him through the earpiece. He was fairly certain that they weren’t expecting that since he’s never exactly talked about his past anyway. Dick decided to ignore his exposure, hoping that this information would help with their admission and that the commissioners' stringent pheromones would vanish. Unsurprisingly, they didn’t but Gordon’s demeanor did seem to change a little.

“You were… just a child?” Gordon hesitantly asked.

Dick took a deep breath and nodded, squeezing Bruce’s arm in his unease. He watched the commissioner look at Bruce before exhaling loudly, his expression resembling Dick’s frustration.

“God… do you really know what you’re getting yourself into, Bruce?”

“I do,” Bruce affirmed, after calming himself. “We spoke about this on the phone. I left that man in your care so I wouldn’t have to deal with him _myself.”_ The statement was ominous, more so than what Dick was used to. _The Dark Knight killed only when it was necessary._ He was sure Bruce would have done it too if he didn’t have self-control.

“This changes things… sadly, not for the better,” Gordon responded composedly before glancing at Dick. “And speaking of DS… do you know how many children they have controlled like this?”

“I’m sorry, I’m... I’m not sure. Their recruitment system is very complicated.” And extremely secretive. The whole clan was disheveled in a clever way so much so that Dick kept running into things he never knew mattered in the first place. The more questions Dick couldn’t answer, the more he realized how smart the Alpha actually was. 

“I see… well, let’s hope we get some more information out of your ex-partner.” Gordon retrieved a handheld radio from his front pocket and spoke into it. “Bring him in.” 

The lights on the other side of the two-way mirror turned on, showcasing an all-white room with the typical set up of one table and two chairs. Dick walked toward the window and leaned his hands on the narrow table protruding from the wall. He felt Bruce close in behind him as soon as the door opened, presenting Grant in handcuffs with a compression wrap wound from the top of his head to his chin.

“Will he even be able to talk?” Bruce questioned, watching as Grant was cuffed to the jutting bars on the table.

“He’s been doing enough of it so far.” 

“I want to talk with him myself,” Dick announced, not once looking away from Grant.

“I can’t let you come in,” Gordon said, walking next to Dick and pointing to a button on a small control panel on the table. “If you press this button here you can relay the message to me and I’ll listen through the receiver.” He tapped on the Bluetooth device in his ear before excusing himself, leaving Dick some room to breathe.

“Are you alright?” Bruce asked.

“Yeah, I’m just a little... afraid to hear what he has to say. I’m supposed to be dead but for some reason, that... _man_ wants me alive…” Fear swirled through Dick’s stomach as he continued to stare at Grant. “...he wants me to go back to him.”

Bruce snaked his arms around Dick's back, breathing in his scent. “I won’t let that happen.” 

_“ **We won’t let that happen, either,** ”_ Jason suddenly declared, seeming to speak on Tim’s behalf; however, Tim didn’t say anything to back up that claim. He remained as silent as ever. 

Despite the teenager's lack of response, Dick chuckled. “I know you guys won’t.”

_“About time.”_

Grant said with a raspy voice, bringing the soulmates apart. They looked at the window just as Gordon closed the door behind him and sat down in the chair across from the other alpha. Dick leaned closer to the glass and stared at Grant with rapt attention.

 _“Adam Miller. Age 29. You’ve worked at Gotham General Hospital for three years now and surprisingly, you have no complaints from any of your colleagues. Mind telling me why you attacked someone at a hospital during the primary working hours?_ ”

_“You talk too much. Keep it short, so we can hurry up and get this over with.”_

_“What's the rush when you’ve possibly got a life sentence ahead of you,”_ Gordon responded, placing the folder down on the table.

 _“There’s no way I have a life sentence for what I did,”_ Grant grumbled, flexing his swollen jaw in the process _. “I didn’t even kill ‘em.”_ He shifted, showing off more bandaging from his neck extended into the v-neck of his orange overalls.

_“The witness claims you wanted to kill him. What do you have to say about that?”_

_“Nothing… whatever you’re gettin' at, I didn’t do it,”_ Grant said simply, the notion almost emulating his father’s articulation-- he was the epitome of being apathetic. 

Gordon sighed, finally closing the folder and sat back against the chair. _“Let's just get straight to the point. I know about DS.”_

Grant swiftly looked up from the table and stared straight into Gordon’s eyes. His own eyes widened as his nostrils flared and Dick was sure his pheromones were foreboding at the thought of being found out. He also knew that the alpha wouldn’t dare answer any more questions after this.

“That name is an alias,” Dick said after pressing the button, watching the commissioner’s fingers twitch upon hearing his voice. “His real name is Grant Wilson. Bate him with it. Ask how much the bounty is for my head?”

 _“Grant Wilson,”_ Gordon muttered.

Grant yanked his handcuffs with a snarl. _“Who the fuck are you?”_ He sought to threaten him but with those injuries, he seemed to only hurt himself even more. 

_“Calm down, Mr. Wilson.”_

_“Fuck--!”_ Grant continued to struggle, going completely nowhere. _“This is a fucking set up! Who do you work for!?”_

Gordon remained calm, simply tapping his fingers against the table. _“The person you attacked at the hospital-- he has some sort of bounty? Am I correct?”_

 _“I’m not telling you shit!”_ Grant struggled some more and seemed to be ignoring the pain the more it went on.

_“Your reaction is telling enough already, Mr. Wilson. But I can’t stop with just this, unfortunately. Your… clan poses a problem.”_

_“The way you’re talking…”_ Grant paused, eyes darting toward the two-way mirror. _“Talon’s in there isn’t he.”_ Grant scowled, now talking to who he suspected to be on the other side.

 _“_ ** _Talon? Why do they call you that_** _?”_ Tim asked before Grant started mouthing off again.

_“First the playboy now the police? Now I know father’s making a mistake by keeping you alive.”_

“Why does he want me alive?” Dick moved closer to the window, trying to keep himself calm as he watched Gordon repeat his question.

_“You should already know the answer to that, Talon. You’re his most prized possession… the perfect weapon.”_

_“_ ** _What the fuck?_** _”_ Jason said.

 _“ **He's some sort of ped--** ”_ Tim started.

“Shut up,” Dick demanded, ripping the earpiece out of his ear, staring at Grant’s lopsided grin as a dark look suffused in his features. He should have known Grant would say some shit like this and what's worse is that Dick actually believed it; he believed every last single word. 

“Dick, do we need to stop?” Bruce questioned as he reached to press the button to inform Gordon.

“No, don’t.” Dick covered the button with his hand. “I want to hear the rest.”

 _“You hear that, Talon?”_ Grant called out to him. _“Unlike most of us, you were raised to kill and so fucking easy to manipulate… Or maybe father just wants to kill you, himself. He’s always had a knack for those types of things.”_

_“That’s enough, Mr. Wilson.” Gordon interrupted, appearing to be uncomfortable._

_“Hey fuzz, shouldn’t he be gettin' arrested too?”_ Grant motioned toward the mirror. _“His hit record is almost as big as mine!”_

“It’s not…” Dick murmured to himself, knowing Bruce heard.

 _“He was manipulated as a child under an unsanctioned jurisdiction of an alpha’s order. He is a victim.”_ Gordon readily confirmed.

 _“A victim? Man, he’s really got all of you fooled, huh?”_ Grant laughed, cringing as he did. _“I’ve seen him; I’ve seen how he kills people…”_

No...

_“With that sword of his. He was always messy with it.”_

No...

_“His eyes always looked dead; glossed over or some shit. He looked like a madman and he was ruthless.”_

Stop… don’t tell them...

_“I really hate to admit it but he’s the best we’ve got. He always got the job done… even children were no exception.”_

Dick held his breath as a stinging feeling tormented him from within, feeling a familiar lump permeate his breathing.

“Dick,” Bruce called his name in solace but that didn’t stop Grant from exposing his gruesome deeds.

_“If I get a life sentence, then he does too. We’re both murderers.”_

Dick’s knees felt weak at his sudden exposure. They were all listening. They all knew! They knew what type of person he was now. He couldn’t hide it anymore. He was going to throw up-- shit, he was going to puke.

“Dick,” Bruce said again, his voice closer this time, and Dick noticed he was in the alpha’s embrace. “We need to stop this.” 

Dick shook his head and was aware that he was digging his fingernails into Bruce’s forearms but he couldn’t let go _._ “No, we still need to know-- why he wants to… kill you too.” He struggled to get the words out, seeing the alpha hesitate before he leaned over and pushed the button.

 _“Ah, Bruce, the fucking billionaire. Like hell, I would tell you about that.”_ Grant laughed loudly once the question was relayed. _“But that does remind me of something I forgot to mention. We finished it, Talon… the drug.”_

Dick went eerily stiff in his alpha’s arms.

_“What drug?” Gordon urged but Grant ignored him._

_“I’m sure father is passin' it out as we speak.”_

How was Grant able to talk about that so easily? He must know… he must know he’s going to die soon.

 _“Mr. Wilson, what drug are you talking about?”_ Grant ignored the commissioner's question once again, choosing to only talk to Dick.

_“I’m sure if you took it then there’d be nothing left of you. You’d be fucking numb; numb enough to kill Bruce Wayne then kill yourself right after.”_

“That’s enough,” Bruce said, Dick just now noticing how angry he was. 

“Bruce, wait.” Dick lightly pushed at his chest when he moved forward.

“No, Dick. This is--” Bruce stopped talking, most likely listening to either Tim or Jason. Dick had half a mind to put his earpiece back in before his body was suddenly pushed to the ground. Without warning, the sound of a gunshot bounced off the walls of the small room, crashing through the double way mirror, splattering glass everywhere.

With his ears ringing and his cheek pressed into the ground, Bruce hovered over him, shielding him from the falling glass. Across the clear shards scattered on the floor, Dick could see his earpiece lying under a chair and moved to grab it. He frantically put it back in his ear before the alpha pulled him up off the ground.

“Jason!” Bruce shouted as he ran quickly, tugging the omega out the door which had a tiny busted window. That’s probably where they shot Grant from, considering there were no windows in the interrogation room itself.

 _“_ **_Already on it!”_ **

Dick looked back, seeing the commissioner slowly standing up from the ground and talking into his radio. His eyes flickered to Grant, the upper half of his body now laid out on the table with a blood gushing hole in his head. _They killed him. That man killed his own son. And yet he wanted Dick alive. Why?_

Dick whimpered at the thought but didn’t have time to receive any comfort because they were running out the front door seconds later. The rain was pouring out of the sky, shadowing what would have been clear figures of cars and buildings.

 _“_ ** _Shit, this guy’s fast_** _,”_ Jason said out of breath.

“ ** _He seems to be going in a circle. One of you can cut him off_** _.”_ Tim briefed them, quickly telling Bruce and Dick where to go. 

“Dick, stay here.”

“Bruce, what are you talking about?”

“You’re in too much distress. Stay here.”

“I’m not staying here, Bruce. I can help.”

 _“_ ** _Jay, there’s another one closing in behind you._ ** _”_

_“ **Another one!? You gotta be fucking kidding me**.” _

“I’ll get him,” Dick confirmed, giving Bruce a reassuring nod, but the alpha’s grip didn’t let up. “You have to trust me. You promised me...”

The alpha loosened his hold, still looking a bit conflicted but Dick wouldn’t let him refuse a second time. He quickly snatched his hand away, taking a few steps back, eyes boring into his alpha, hoping he understood. Distress aside, he knew he was still able to fight.

 _“_ ** _Hey, lovebirds, my legs are fucking killing me here. Hurry the hell up!_** _”_ Jason said, distracting both of them.

“I’m on my way,” Dick replied.

"Stay safe."

"You too." Dick forced himself to look away and ran in the opposite direction to where Tim told him to go. He ran as fast as he could down the alleyway, blinking through the watery haze and slipping a bit as he turned another corner.

_“ **They should be right ahead of you, Dick**.” _

“It’s hard to see,” Dick said.

_“ **In about 70 ft- they stopped.** ” _

“I think I see them now.” Dick ran straight ahead, hearing Bruce come in contact with the other assassin. “Check to see if they have a gun, Bruce.”

_“ **They don’t have one.** ” _

_“_ ** _There’s a group of heat signatures coming your way Bruce,_** _”_ Tim informed him.

 _“_ ** _Gordon probably called back up._ ** _”_

Dick blocked out their voices, seeing a person quickly approaching him. They made quick contact, Dick easily losing balance trying to dodge the woman's attack due to the slippery slope. He ducked into a quick roll, jumping up behind her and charged forward, readily striking the middle of her back. She bent forward and wheezed before lightning flashed across the sky, bringing Dick’s attention to the collar around her neck. 

He balked at the numbers engraved onto it-- Omega 382… was all he could witness before he promptly backed her into the wall, trapping her with her hands behind her back. Despair and an itch on his neck burdened him with flashbacks as Dick tried to keep a firm hold on her.

 _Concentrate_ … _focus..._

He repeated inwardly as he quickly checked around her body for a gun, finding nothing. Feeling disgruntled Dick speedily suspended the assassin’s struggle, proficiently knocking her to the ground.

“I got her,” Dick said, digging a knee into her back, still staring at the back of her collar. “But she doesn’t have a gun. Which means there’s one more.”

_“ **There’s a couple of cops headed your way too, Dick.** ” _

“Okay,” Dick said, suddenly feeling something hard press into the back of his head.

 _“ **That one made it to you quickly,** ”_ Tim commented and Dick could only tense up.

“This one’s not a cop.” Dick didn’t dare move at the risk of being shot by the same gun that killed Grant.

 _“_ ** _Tim, where is Dick?_ ** _”_

“I’m okay, Bruce,” Dick said calmly, hearing the other assassin step around until he was standing in front of him. It was no surprise that Dick had no idea who this guy was; DS had assassin affiliates everywhere. Some of them were more notorious than the others and Dick happened to be on that list, which is why this man knew _exactly_ who he was.

“You’re- you’re Talon.” The assassin said with Dick having now noticed his sunglasses weren’t on his face. “This is amazing. Do you know how much you’re worth right now?”

“No, I don’t actually... I was hoping you could tell me.” Dick kept his hold on the woman beneath him, not sure how he was supposed to stop the guy with the gun without letting her run away.

“One million.” The man gave an exasperated laugh. “And that's just for keeping you alive? Shit, the Alpha must be insane.”

He was insane, Dick thought. That much for someone who betrayed the clan?! But in spite of that, Dick knew that this amount would work in his favor.

“One million?” Jason’s voice impeded the threatening space, as he pointed a gun at the back of the assassin’s head. Dick, having noticed his presence a while ago, played it cool, watching the alpha nudge the perpetrator's head with the barrel of his gun. “That’s pocket money.”

 _“_ ** _Jason, don’t kill him,_** _”_ Bruce warned.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll let your precious cops get him.” Before Jason could grab the assassin, a horrendous noise tore through the long alleyway, drowning out the sound of the rolling thunder. Through the sudden happening, Dick widened his eyes, seeing Jason fall to the ground with a silent thump that was smothered by the sound of crashing rain. It all happened so fast but Jason had been shot by the assassin, who Dick now noticed was holding a smaller gun hidden between his arm and his torso. 

“Fuck!” Jason cried out while holding his leg, just as the police surrounded them, overtaking the assassin. 

_“ **Jay?!** ”_ Tim screamed. **_“Jay, what happened?”_ **

Dick cursed and stood up, allowing the police to handcuff the woman as he ran toward Jason. He blinked away the droplets of water from his eyelashes as he tore off a piece of his shirt and briskly wrapped it around the alpha’s wound. Sorrow shredded his insides as Jason’s blood seeped through the fabric and stained his hands.

_“ **Jason! Are you okay? Jay, speak to m--** ” _

“Dammit, shut up Tim.” He groaned. “You’re making my ears hurt with all that yelling.”

_“ **How bad is the wound? Is he okay!? Bruce is he ok?** ” _

“I’m fucking fine, Tim. God--” Jason hissed as Dick applied more pressure to his leg.

“Stay still,” Dick told him, hands shivering, only stopping when he felt Bruce’s palm lay over his. He instantly sensed the alpha’s exceeding worry that was dividend from his calm tone.

“He’s alright, Tim.”

_“ **I’m coming to you guys right now.** ” _

“No, stay there.” 

_“_ ** _But Bruce, Jay is--_ ** _”_

“Stay there!” He shouted, his powerful alpha command coming out in waves of frustration, making both Dick and Jason go still.

**_“But--”_ **

“He’s alright, Tim.” His voice once again adopted that calm tone, bringing light the commotion behind them. Dick looked over his shoulder, watching as both collared omegas were taken away. The one who shot Jason, steadied a glare his way and Dick quickly averted his gaze, bringing his attention back to Bruce’s reassurances.

“The wound isn’t that bad,” Bruce told Tim, even though he wasn’t really sure how deep the bullet wound was. 

_“ **Are you sure he’s okay?** ”_ Tim sniffled softly.

“I’m sure. Don't worry, we’re taking him to the hospital.” He spoke only to placate his worried son when he was, in fact, worried himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'll be able to post chapters faster now since we're doing classes online but who knows  
> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Yall stay safe out there!


	14. Where do I belong?

**Gotham City**

**Location: Building near GCPD**

**Time: 16:39 P.m.**

**Status: Omega 21365 [Located]**

“Well... isn’t this an interesting development?” Rose grinned, observing the scene through her rain-soaked binoculars. “Bruce Wayne and Talon… working together.” Her gaze wandered around the two, taking in their frantic displacement as they helped Jason up off of the ground. “How exciting.”

“Shouldn’t we inform father?”

Rose pulled the binoculars away from her eyes and glanced down at her little brother. “We can’t do that Joey. You know how father is about betrayal. He'd especially go ballistic if he found out that Talon did this all for Bruce Wayne.”

“I guess you’re right.” Joey agreed solemnly, seeming to still be a little bit down about Grant’s unfortunate death but Rose knew he’d get over it soon enough. That’s just how their world worked. Sentiments were better left for your own death, not someone else’s.

“Not to mention, we can’t risk this _alliance_ getting out to anyone else.” She looked through the binoculars once more, surveying their current traitor. “Once they find out that Talon and the leader of the Dark knight are working together, our hunters will drop out _one by one_.” 

Joey followed his sister's line of sight and narrowed his eyes in understanding. “Then what do you propose we do?” 

“Let’s just give it a while and see where it goes…”

“That’s it?” Joey spoke to the point, not sure what to think of Rose’s plan. “So we don’t tell father and we don’t do anything about this ourselves?”

“Don’t worry, little brother.” She grinned, watching Talon disappear around the building as a flash of lightning went across the sky. “Talon will eventually come back to us… _willingly_ , that is.” 

“How can you be so sure of that?”

Rose sighed, growing tired of the teenager’s questions. “You know him almost as well as I do. Talon was raised by our father, as were we, and you know we can never stay away for long…” She turned to Joey, studying his rapt interest in her words. “He’ll soon realize what his true purpose is because he’ll never be able to conform to that billionaire’s ways… he was meant to kill.” Rose spoke with confidence and experience, for she also tried to run away from DS during her teens but eventually realized she needed to go back. Living a normal life wasn’t something an assassin could do easily.

“You miss him don’t you, Rose?” 

A soft giggle escaped Rose’s mouth. “Don’t say that. It’s embarrassing.”

Joey rolled his eyes. “I’ll never understand your obsession with him.”

“What else can I say? I am my father’s daughter. Anyway…” She stood up and stretched, watching as Joey followed her lead. “We must report back to father and tell him that Grant’s been eradicated.”

“Wait, Rose, I have one more question to ask.”

She huffed, running a hand through her soaked locks and motioned for Joey to speak. 

“Have you ever wondered as to how Talon was able to betray us? I mean, father _ordered_ him to kill Bruce Wayne and now…” Joey tapered off, leaving his query open-ended.

She listened to the rain pound against the roof as she pondered for an answer. “Joey, you must understand that no alpha order can be stopped.” Rose turned toward the GCPD building, watching as the blue letters lit up in the night sky. “Unless one has found their True Alpha… their-”

“Their soulmate.” Joey finished for her and they shared a look.

Rose was the first one to break their stare and smiled with dubious musings before deviating from that topic. “Our spare hunters have been arrested, Joey, so let’s finish the mission.”

“Shall I eliminate them for you?” 

She nodded. “Make it quick. Keep it discrete.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Rose watched her brother make his way down the side of the tall building just as the rain picked up, practically drenching her notions.

Even if Talon did find his soul mate, Rose knew he was going to come back. He had too. There was no way he was happy where he was right now… not when his past was as gruesome as it was.

~*~

“Jay!” Tim shouted as soon as he entered the hospital room with Alfred following slowly behind. In a flash, he was at his brother’s bedside, suffocating him with a hug, to which Jason failed to evade.

Dick watched from the other end of the room, where Alfred joined him, quietly wringing out the umbrella. The omega acknowledged him with a small smile before his expression returned to its passive state. 

_This was bad_. 

This was not what Dick expected to happen on their first run. Although Dr. Dundee said that it was just a graze and that it would take about a month to heal, it was still the worst-case scenario. All the more when Dick realized he’d put his alpha’s child in danger. 

Bruce had been more worried than Dick had ever seen him and those feelings hadn’t let up since they got here. The omega attempted to soothe the alpha but he couldn’t even do that when his own mind was possessed with distress. That’s why he distanced himself, which wasn’t hard to do in this massive hospital suite. The sensations of worry were duller than before but nonetheless obvious. 

Dick could see it in the alpha’s stance, as he stood beside Jason’s bed, handing a tissue to the teary-eyed Tim. His smile was more fixed than usual and his discourse was toneless as he told Tim about Jason’s minor wound. If only Dick could muster up the confidence to walk over there and comfort his uneasy alpha, then he would, but something didn’t feel right. It was as though he were in his _own_ space and they (the family of three) _were in theirs._

Tim took the news of his brother’s injury in slight, ultimately deciding that he would stay at the hospital and walk to school in the morning since it wasn’t that far away. Jason heavily protested but Tim wouldn’t back down, especially when Bruce full-on agreed. After that was settled, alongside Jason’s repugnance, Tim pulled a Geri chair as close as he could get it to the bed, sat down, and glanced over at Dick. His facial expression remained stolid almost similar to that icy stare he gave to the omega the first day they met. This time though, Dick could comprehend its meaning even before Tim began disputing his presence.

“What are you still doing here?” Tim’s sneer pierced Dick’s ears, threatening to break his last strand of hope. 

“Wha…” Dick stopped short, watching Tim grow angrier than he’s ever seen him before.

“This is your fault.” 

Inwardly, Dick winced as Tim’s words lashed out at him.“Tim, I... I couldn’t have seen this coming, I--”

“If you hadn’t been here; if you hadn’t come here to stay with us, none of this would have happened!” Tim shouted, not letting Dick get his reasoning in. “Jason wouldn’t have gotten hurt!”

“Tim, that’s enough.” Bruce shielded Dick from his son’s gaze by moving in front of him and telling Tim to ‘calm down.’ 

But who was Dick kidding? He knew this was coming and that only one person would be able to say it to his face. He knew no one else would be able to tell him that all of this was his fault.

“You heard what that man said about him, Bruce. He said that he was fooling us! That’s he’s killed, children!”

Dick closed his eyes and took a stammering breath.

“He didn’t have a choice, Tim.” Jason quickly countered. “You already know this.”

“I-I know that it’s just… ” 

A weight settled on Dick’s chest when he heard Tim’s next statement.

“I can’t… I can’t take it anymore, Bruce.” Dick couldn’t see Tim’s face but he could tell from the way his voice cracked that he was crying. “What if you get hurt next, or Alfred, or anyone that I care about… What if next time it’s not just a graze, what if Jason had… had...” Bruce moved around the bed, finally letting Dick see Tim’s shimmering eyes and painful expression. Dick couldn’t look away even as the dejection hollowed out his heart. It wasn’t until Bruce brought his son into a hug and grumbled words of solace that Dick turned away.

“We don’t even know him, we just met him three months ago.” Tim cried into Bruce’s chest. “He may be your soulmate, Bruce, but I just-- I just can’t… I can’t do it anymore.” 

“Dick,” Bruce called his name, forcing the omega to look back at the despondent scene. “Can you give us a minute alone?”

Pain gripped Dick’s chest as the word ‘us’ rang throughout his head. 

_Us…_

_Their family…_

_The one that didn’t include him._

“...Y-yeah, I’ll just… be outside...” Dick’s vision blurred as he turned around, finding the door handle and letting himself out the door. He ended up hugging himself, feeling a bit nauseated and the imminent pangs in his lower waist didn’t help placate that feeling.

“I’ll drive him home, Master Bruce,” Alfred said before Dick could close the door.

The omega took a step back, catching one last glimpse of Bruce comforting Tim before Alfred closed the door behind him.

“Shall we go, Master Dick?”

Dick slowly looked away from the door and regarded the butler. “Yeah… we can go.”

~*~

“Looks like the rain won’t be letting up any time soon,” Alfred spoke after they walked through the front door. “It’s best to warm up, take a shower and relax for the rest of the night, Master Dick.”

When Dick didn’t respond, Alfred turned around and came face to face with the listless omega. “Master Dick?”

“Oh- I’m sorry, Alfred, I must have zoned out.”

“May I offer you some hot tea? It will help relieve your stress.”

Dick had forgotten that not even a beta could impede an omega’s distress. They sensed it just as much as an Alpha did, except they couldn’t provide such soothing pheromones that an omega needed.

“Sure…” Was all Dick said, not really wanting to reject Alfred’s tender offer. If anything, Dick needed to feel like he was more or less valued even if it wasn’t from his alpha at the moment.

“I’ll have it waiting for you in the family room.”

Dick nodded as he watched the beta walk away, groaning as another pang struck his waist before it gradually disappeared. He took a couple of deep breaths and sauntered further down the hallway toward the family room. The atmosphere was familiarly pleasant, as the fire from the fireplace gave it that homey feel. It was all the more prominent when Dick caught sight of the family pictures on nearly every surface of the room. He stopped and focused on one, in particular; one pertaining to Jason’s twelfth birthday party. He had to admit, both Jason and Tim looked cute in their little birthday hats and Bruce certainly looked happy, despite his small smile. Usually, Dick enjoyed looking at them at the moment, not so much.

He didn’t want to be anywhere near these photos that reminded him of his exclusion from non-other than the people he truly wanted to connect with. He tried so hard to make it happen too as he made jokes and went along with Tim and Jason’s questionable whims.

_But that was his mistake._

Dick hadn’t given them a choice… he never asked if they wanted to help him, they simply offered it out of his obligation of being Bruce’s mate. That was it. There was nothing else holding him here. Dick just so happened to meet his fated pair at the club that night and went along with him because he felt compelled too. Maybe that was also his mistake. 

_He wasn’t meant to belong here._

_Where did he belong then?_

_Maybe he belonged nowhere._

Dick always wondered how fate worked. Was it fate that his parents died right in front of his eyes? Was it fate when he was taken away by _that man_ and forced to do things he couldn’t prevent? Dick considered meeting Bruce to be fate so that meant all of those bad things had to have been fate too, right? 

Fate was theoretically that of which lied beyond human freedom, beyond their power of control. The unerasable path that no one can avoid, it’s inevitable as much as it is unintended… and the omega was tired of being its victim.

Dick’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of a thunderclap threatening to break the tall glass windows. He looked through the safe passage the glass provided, feeling the need to break through it; to let the rain hammer against his skin and push him to the ground, in an attempt to drown him. He wanted to let the rain quell his tears and his pain. Maybe even take a closer look at the pool out back and _submerge himself fully_...

Dick let his mind pull his body forward and toward the glass door. He steadily opened it, allowing the cloud bursting rain to blow inside the house, drenching him along with the dark marble flooring. He took one halting step outside, then another, then another, feeling the harsh wind drag him along as did. The flashes of lightning provided a clear view of the pool in the distance, but the closer he got, the heavier Dick’s legs became. 

By means of that dreadful thing called _fate_ , Dick immediately fell to his knees, holding his stomach as another aching pain surged through his waist. Dick groaned softly, knees digging further into the damp grass as he waited for the pain to disappear.

_What was happening?_

He’s never had pain in his waist like this before. Could it have been his heat? It didn’t feel like one. Besides, his next heat wasn’t for another two weeks and it was way too early for a preheat so what was this?

“Master Dick?”

Dick went still upon hearing Alfred’s voice that was eclipsed by the rain pattering against an umbrella that was suddenly above his head.

“Master Dick, is everything alright?”

“I’m… fine, Alfred…”

“Evidently not, sir. I must implore you to come back inside.”

“I’m really alright, Alfred,” Dick claimed, knowing that the butler was aware of his ruse.

“Well, if you insist on getting sick, then I might as well join you.” 

_He couldn’t be serious._

But after having stayed kneeled on the ground with Alfred standing behind him in the never-ending rain for more than five minutes, Dick gave in and followed the butler back inside the house. There, he made Dick sit by the fireplace and warm up with a towel on his shoulders and a hot cup of tea. Dick almost protested, wanting to say that he should just go upstairs and change but it would seem that the beta was more stubborn than Bruce ever was. Then again, Alfred did practically raise Bruce so maybe that’s where he got it from.

“May I ask what you were doing out there in the storm, Master Dick?”

“N-nothing.” Dick avoided Alfred’s gaze by looking at the low lit fire.

“Master Dick, I’m not one to pry but your pheromones suggest that you are in anguish. And a lot of it.”

“I’m fine…” The lie slipped easily past Dick’s lips. “There’s nothing to worry about.” 

The beta sighed softly before sitting down on a chair in front of Dick. “You almost sound like Master Bruce. He once kept everything in, so much so that he was holed up in this house for years.”

Dick didn’t respond. He didn’t want to talk at all but there was no way of getting out of this without being rude and leaving the room.

“Over time, he got better. Seeing Ms. Gordon seemed to help him out a great deal.”

Dick peered at the butler with rapt curiosity. “He also went to therapy?”

“Yes, in fact, he still does, every once in a while.”

Dick scoffed, choosing to look down at his lap. “Of course he didn’t tell me that.” Looks like there’s another thing to add to his list of “ _Things he doesn’t know about Bruce Wayne_.”

“Yes,” Alfred responded with a knowing nod. “Master Bruce does have a... problem opening up to people, he always has. But I assure you that he’s more content now than has been for a while. Even more so now, since you’re here.”

Dick’s ears perked at that, leaving him a little more interested than before. “What do you mean by that?”

“I haven’t seen Master Bruce smile in five years.”

“Five years?” Dick repeated in question. “What happened five years ago?”

Alfred’s expression didn’t change but the short pause after Dick asked his question, suggested that something was being withheld. “I’m sure Master Bruce will tell you himself when the time is right.”

_That’s another thing to add to the list._

“Aside from that,” Alfred continued. “I can assure you that ever since you came here, his smile has never been more real.”

Dick gave a half shrug and looked back at the fire. “That’s flattering and all but that’s not where the issue lies. I mean, I’m still living in a house with his family that loves and adores him… but not everyone wants me here.”

“I think Master Tim is a little resentful of you because you were able to make Master Bruce smile again,” Alfred spoke knowingly. “He’s attempted many times to get through to his father but with no luck and then you came along and have now become Master Bruce’s _top_ priority.”

Dick looked at the butler, seeing the sincerity in his eyes as he spoke about Tim. Is Bruce putting him above everyone else? Even his children? Dick’s never looked at it from that perspective before.

“Moreover,” Alfred continued, “You have a dynamic, something that Tim deems enviable since he’s most likely not going to present at all.”

Dick was a little disturbed by Alfred’s straightforwardness. Unlike Jason who constantly gave Tim the benefit of the doubt, Alfred was adversely straight forward.

“But it is not right for Tim to blame you for things that you cannot control.” Alfred proceeded to reason both sides with understanding. “Nor does it give Bruce the right to put you above everyone else.”

“Yeah, but Tim wasn’t wrong about me,” Dick said somberly. “Like he implied, I… I don’t belong here.”

“Master Dick, you don’t need Tim’s validity to feel a sense of belonging. You have to find that within yourself.”

Alfred’s calm guidance seemed to lull Dick’s distress away bit by bit.

“It will probably take a long time but I’m sure you will find it. And by the time you do, I hope that you and Master Tim can find common ground.”

“Tim and I?” Dick shook his head. “I don’t think that’s ever going to happen.”

“No one truly knows what lies ahead, Master Dick. Perhaps you can make sure things happen the way you want them too.” Alfred said as he stood up and offered Dick a small smile before he silently left the room.

 _To make things happen the way he wanted them too?_ Dick reflected upon those words, trying to see exactly how he could accomplish something like that. He pushed away all the possibilities he thought of, not willing to take the risk and ruin things even further. Then again, maybe he would have to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the angst 😩😩 Next Chapter won't have it as much lol.
> 
> I would love to see you guy’s comments and thoughts maybe predictions so far. I love reading comments, just seeing what you guys think really motivates me 😊😊


	15. Beginnings of a Preheat

Tim bit the end of his pen as he went over his answers for the third time. Though he didn’t need to, he was a bit of a perfectionist when it came to these sorts of things. He especially didn’t want any of his teachers complaining about his lack of showing work, which they seemed to do more often than none. He didn’t need to when he’d already figured out the answer in his head but Tim was a target at his school. Being the son of the prince of Gotham, having no dynamic, and having skipped a grade put Tim in the spotlight for many good and bad things all the same. 

He was set to graduate at the end of this school year and tried his best to focus on just that but his thoughts wouldn’t rid themselves from the crestfallen, Dick Grayson. Tim had let it all out; he’d said everything that was on his mind, only to feel guilty about it five days later. But Tim was too entitled; too spiteful and he’d been spoiled for too long to concede to the idea of apologizing to him.

_He should though._

_He knew he should._

Tim should have done it five days ago when Dick came to talk to him and Jason. When he told them that they didn’t have to help him get rid of DS. With plaited resolve, the omega told them that they didn’t owe him anything and that they had a choice in the matter. Tim bit harder into the pen, thinking about how easily Jason agreed to help; conversely, Tim hadn’t given Dick an answer. He wasn’t sure when he would.

Tim removed the pen from his mouth and sighed, deciding that he was done checking his work and closed the homework packet. His gaze settled on the half-empty cup of coffee with temptation, eventually deciding not to drink the rest. Bruce would definitely know if he drank more than usual; apparently, he was slightly more jittery when he did and Jason seemed to agree.

Bearing that in mind, Tim looked over at Jason who was asleep after growing tired of playing video games. Tim couldn’t blame him either. The need to be active was evident because they weren’t used to staying in one place for so long. _Poor Jay_ , Tim taunted inwardly before standing up and walking over to his bed. With how messy Jason slept, it wasn’t easy to straighten out the blankets but Tim did his best anyway. He pulled the thin blanket to Jason’s chest, planting his feet in place as he examined the alpha’s face. He swallowed, slowly reaching out to brush some of Jason’s hair from his forehead, abruptly pulling away when the latter’s cell phone rang.

Hearing Jason groan in his wake, Tim stepped back, gaze wandering to the IV bag as he feigned curiosity. Jason didn’t seem too concerned with his presence at all, opting to answer his phone without even looking at him.

“Hey, what’s up… Dick… what’s wrong?”

Tim looked at the alpha who was suddenly sitting up on the bed with a startled expression. Tim’s skin prickled with anticipation. _Did something happen to Dick? Was he hurt?_ A twinge of guilt washed over him as he waited for Jason to continue speaking.

“Dr. Dundee? Why do you need him? And where the fuck is Alfred?”

Tim could hear a faint voice on the other side of the phone that seemed to crack every so often. _Was he crying?_

“Okay, just- fuck, I can’t do anything with this shitty leg.” Jason looked over at Tim.

“What’s wrong?” Tim finally asked, moving closer to the alpha’s bedside.

“Bruce isn’t picking up the phone and just- just go and give the phone to the doc okay?”

“But what’s happening?”

“Tim, just go.” Jason shoved his phone in Tim’s hand. “Hurry the fuck up.”

Tim scoffed and without asking any more questions he took the phone and sprinted out of the room. He didn’t take the time to put the phone to his ear, somewhat afraid to hear what was happening. Ignoring all the prying stares, Tim made it to the doctor’s personal office and knocked on the door then heard the doctor utter ‘come in’ before slipping inside. 

“Tim, what can I do for you?”

“It’s Dick.” He walked over to his desk and handed him the phone. “I’m not sure what's happening.” Tim stepped back and anxiously watched the doctor put the phone to his ear. 

“Dick it’s-...” The doctor started then briefly paused. “How bad is your pain?”

Tim bit his lip as he scanned the doctor's every expression, impatience weighing on his shoulders as he waited for his next response. He should call Bruce. But Jason said that Dick couldn’t contact him, which means he was most definitely in a meeting. Bad timing as always Bruce, Tim thought before concentrating on the doctor’s next words.

“You’re in Preheat, Dick. You’re most likely experiencing pain because the Surge suppressant is flooding out of your system.”

Tim sighed at that, a little glad that it wasn’t anything serious. _Not that he would admit it out loud._

“Not all omegas experience such pain, I wish you had told me as soon as it started. With that much pain, you might be going into a full heat even earlier than expected. If you have any pain medication there, take it for the time being.”

Tim watched the doctor stand up and rummage around through the clear windowed filing cabinet filled with pill bottles. After finding what he was looking for he handed the phone back to Tim along with a small black rectangular case that fit snugly in his hand. The label read ‘Surge’ and Tim looked up in confusion. “Why would he need this, I assumed…” Tim trailed off, looking down at the sleek box.

“I forgot to give it to him last time. At the end of the day, it’s his choice.”

_His choice…_

~*~

_“You know guys know everything now. I was an assassin and I’ve killed people. It didn’t matter what age they were, as long as I received an order, I followed it… And no matter how hard I tried to avoid it; no matter how much I wanted to walk away, I couldn’t…_ **_I didn’t have a choice._ ** _But now… now I have a choice. Now I can make my own decisions. And I want to stay with Bruce.”_

Tim had yet to let go of Dick’s words from that day. Dick had said it with less effort than Tim thought possible. The omega had been so reluctant before and now everything slipped past his tongue like running water and Tim couldn’t say he wasn’t affected by it.

“We’re here, sir.”

Tim was pulled from the memory at the sound of the cab driver’s voice and nodded before paying the fare. He made his way out of the car, hearing it pull off behind him as he faced the Wayne Tower. Bruce hadn’t picked up his or Jason’s calls so Tim was forced to go to the office by means of a taxi. 

Tim made a side note to ask Bruce for a car on his birthday this year. Even though the idea was slightly far-fetched--considering Jason had to wait until he was in college to get one--Tim would somehow make it happen. He was tired of taking taxis; frankly, he was tired of going out in public in general, for people's eyes seemed to always follow him. And it wasn’t because he was Bruce Wayne's son.

Tim made his way inside the tall building, skimming past the bustle and headed straight toward the elevator. Some people got on after him, filling it enough to where Tim had to lean against the wall. As a dynamic habit would have it, a person's first instinct is to scent the air and the pheromones around them and Tim couldn’t do that no matter how hard he tried. He wished he could, so he wouldn’t be left open to people's meddlesome scenting. 

If they didn't smell anything from him the first time, then they would sniff the air a second time to make sure they weren’t going crazy. Then they’d look at him with either pity or disdain after finding out he was a rare defect. But Tim was used to it. He _had_ to be when this could possibly be his life forever. 

Thankfully, the elevator ride didn’t take that long and Tim’s trek to Bruce’s office was short. The office assistant told him Bruce was in a meeting, _as he suspected_ , but that didn’t stop Tim from going to the meeting room and interrupting their little assembly. He slowly cracked open the door, seeing Bruce at the head of the table, listening to some old bald guy talk. 

“Bruce,” Tim said, his soft voice drawing everyone's attention toward him. But Tim avoided eye contact with every person in that room except for Bruce, who finally stood up and called the meeting to a hold.

“Tim, what’s wrong? Is it Jason?” Bruce said after closing the door behind him.

“It’s Dick,” Tim whispered, watching Bruce’s frown grow deeper.

Tim gave Bruce the rundown on the entire situation, causing the alpha to cancel the whole meeting without explanation. Tim wasn’t sure how bad this would look for Bruce but he knew the alpha could care less.

.

.

.

“Bruce, you didn’t have to drive me back to the hospital,” Tim said as soon as they pulled out of the parking garage. “You should just go straight home.”

“There’s no rush. Dick’s just in preheat.” Bruce responded in a surprisingly calm manner.

“I’m thinking it's a bit more than that, with how fast you canceled that meeting.” Bruce gave an airy smile, not exactly denying his prior haste.

“I’m just a little worried since this is, to a certain degree, his first real heat.”

Tim nodded in understanding. “You still didn’t have to drive me back to the hospital.”

“I have no problem with dropping you off first, Tim. I know how much you hate taking the cab.”

“Y’know, if I had a _car_ , then I could have driven myself back.” Tim hinted while eyeing Bruce, seeing the latter deflate with a huff.

“You’re not getting a car, Tim.”

“Even if it’s just a used one, I’ll--”

“No, Tim. I’m not getting you a car.” Bruce doubled down on his refusals, making Tim slump against the seat.

“I know.” Tim pouted. “At least I tried.”

“You didn’t try nearly as hard as Jason did at that age,” Bruce commented with a small grin.

“Well, I’m not _that_ desperate.” Tim shrugged. “It’d just be nice to have one, is all.”

“When you’re ready, I’ll get you one.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “I think you’re worried about me for no reason. You already know I’m a better driver than Jason ever was.”

Bruce chuckled. “I can’t disagree with that.”

Tim smiled at the sight, thinking back to a time when talking to Bruce like this wasn’t that easy. He and Jason had learned to just keep the name Selina out of their mouths all together and tried to move forward in different ways. Now that Dick was here, it was as if all Bruce's pain had disappeared. _On the surface anyway._

“Dick came and talked to us the other day,” Tim mentioned, breaking the short silence. “He told me and Jason that we didn’t have to help him with the whole DS thing.”

Bruce nodded. “He talked to me as well... and made me realize some things. I should have asked for you and Jason’s opinion before we did anything. Especially with something this big.”

“No, it’s to be expected. Despite my... _reluctance_ , I’m not just going to sit back and let you and Jason do everything. I want to help too; we’re family after all.”

“You’ll help Dick then?” Bruce questioned and raised a brow.

“... Yeah… maybe. I was thinking of making Jay tell him for me.”

“Though I’m no longer going to force you to get along with him, you should tell Dick that yourself,” Bruce grumbled.

Tim snickered. “You heard about the truce didn’t you?”

“Sadly, yes. It sounded more like something Jason would do rather than you.”

“I know, but it doesn’t matter now. Dick said the truce was off,” Tim told him as he looked out the window. “You know what else he said to me, Bruce… He told me that if one day I present as an omega, he hoped I would never have to go through what he did... but then again, he hoped I would become an omega so that maybe then... I’d understand.”

Tim peered at Bruce, watching his grip tighten on the steering wheel, betraying his indecision to make a comment. Whether he wanted to disagree with Dick’s statement or not, Tim wasn’t going to wait for the alpha to answer so he admitted his true feelings instead.

“I’ve been feeling like shit ever since he said that.”

“I think you know what it is you need to do, Tim,” Bruce said, his tone pressing into Tim's own resolve. 

“I know…” He muttered when Bruce pulled up in front of the hospital. “Thanks for dropping me off.” 

“No problem. I’ll try to come by and visit in a few days before I’m forced to stay inside.”

“Ugh, too much information.” Tim unbuckled his seat belt. “But good luck with that and- Oh! I almost forgot.” Tim pulled out a small black box from his jacket pocket and handed it to Bruce. “Dr. D gave it to me. I’m guessing Dick requested it or something.”

With a sudden quiet mood, Bruce carefully took the box out of his hand and gave Tim a quick thanks before he got out of the car and waved goodbye.

~*~

Dick let his legs hang off the side of the bed, allowing the cool air to waft over his burning skin. The breeze did nothing to help in the slightest nor did the terribly uncomfortable bedding. And none of that had changed from the moment he woke up with the sheets scratching restlessly against his skin. His first thought that morning was how he hated the enormity of the bed, especially with Bruce not there to hold him close. He needed to be enclosed and surrounded in some sort of way, for it was something that his omega called forth naturally. 

Dick then began to ransack the alpha’s side of the massive closet, his hands grabbing anything he thought useful, scenting them briefly before haphazardly throwing them on the bed. He repeated that process for ten minutes, finding that he was actually doing nothing good for himself. With great shame, he confessed that he had no idea what he was doing.

By the time he realized that he gave up and began to pace back and forth, hopelessness dragging down his every step. _What the fuck was he doing? He had no fucking idea how to make a nest? Was this normal for other omegas?_ No, everyone else has probably had more experience than him. Having not been off his suppressants since the age of ten, he’d never gotten the chance. And now when his omega desperately called for it, he was at a complete loss. 

At that point Dick had to sit down, feeling the beginnings of that same pain he felt five days ago, making its ill-fated return, preceding the following events after he called Jason.

After having taken some pain medication, currently, the omega laid flat on his stomach in a tank and shorts, making mental promises to himself. Dick swore to God he was never taking that fucking Surge suppressor again. It hurt when it was first injected and now hurt even worse when it was wearing off. How could anybody go through this time and time again? It didn’t matter, Dick was going back to the suppressant pills _the second_ his heat was over. 

“You should have called me first, Master Dick.” Alfred’s soothing voice interrupted his frustrations and Dick wondered how he’d forgotten his presence. “I was not that far away from the house when I left for the grocery store.”

Dick sighed and sunk further into the bed when Alfred placed another floor fan in front of his face in a futile endeavor to cool him off. “It’s hard to concentrate right now,” Dick admitted, his mind once again bleeding into frustration. “I’m just so irritated and I don’t know why.”

“That’s very normal during a preheat, sir.”

“You seem to know more about omegas than I do, Alfred. It’s because Bruce has slept with a lot of omegas, isn’t it?” Dick was quick to assume, growing all the more irritated.

“That is not my place to answer, Master Dick.” 

“So it’s true.” Dick huffed, whimpering into the pile of his alpha’s clothes. 

_What if that’s why Bruce wasn’t answering his calls? Was that why Dick always woke up alone and why Bruce always came back late too? No, stop, making assumptions._ Dick took a deep breath and turned over onto his back, feeling a wave of cool air from the two fans glide over his scorching skin. 

“Where’s Bruce?” The omega asked, his speculations dishearting him by the minute. “Is he here yet?”

“I’m afraid not sir but he is on the way.”

Dick huffed then rolled over onto his side, kicking some of his alpha’s clothes off the bed in the process.

There was a soft clanging sound then shuffling coming from the other side of the room and before long, Alfred was handing him a bag of ice. “Here you go, Master Dick.” 

As swiftly as possible, Dick seized the bag of ice, placing it directly on his neck, then to his cheeks and arms. Virtually anywhere that needed immediate cooling. “You’re a lifesaver, Alfred.” The omega commented as the heated tension progressively wore off. 

“I try, sir.”

“I still think you’re too used to this…” Dick let the bag rest on his forehead, listening to Alfred doing something behind him. “Who else was it? Who else has Bruce spent a heat with?”

“Master Dick, I think it’s best that you try to relax right now.”

“I’m trying.” Once again being uncomfortable in his current position, Dick turned onto his side, holding the bag close to his chest. “I can’t relax.” The omega whispered.

“Take a couple of deep breaths, Master Dick, and close your eyes.”

Dick languidly followed the beta’s suggestion and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of his alpha’s pheromones. _Relax,_ he told himself, trying his hardest to will his doubts away. He was overreacting. Once Bruce was here, everything would be fine. He’d be able to fully alleviate his frustrations when he was in his alpha’s arms. 

_Just breathe…_

_Wait for Bruce…_

_He’ll be here soon..._

“This is only your preheat, Master Dick.” The omega kept his eyes closed even at the sound of Alfred’s voice. “I can assure you that these effects will not last more than three hours a day.”

“Then it’ll start up again. Great.” With that in mind, dread refilled his thoughts

“You'll be fine once Master Bruce is here.”

“I will…” The omega murmured in brief, eyes growing heavy. _“Hopefully …”_

The room grew quiet and Dick’s restlessness ceased as the energy drained from his body. Alfred took it upon himself to quietly leave the room and make his way downstairs. Immediately after Alfred stepped off the last step, Bruce was entering the large foyer, pausing when he spotted the butler.

“Alfred, how is he?”

“He is not used to this and is exceedingly on edge.”

“I figured that.” It is essential for omegas who present at the ages ten to thirteen, to go through their first heat naturally, so they know what to expect in the future. That is if or when they want to experience it again.

“It took some time, but I’ve finally gotten him to calm down.”

“Thank you, Alfred.” 

“Of course sir.” Bruce patted his shoulder and passed him by, going up the stairs.

“It would seem that I still have my touch in taking care of omegas, sir. Although, Ms. Kyle was not nearly as unsettled as Dick was.”

Bruce stopped midstep, his legs suddenly leaden against the ground as he pivoted to look down at Alfred.

“I see you have yet to tell him about Ms. Kyle.” Alfred established his issue with a placid expression, one that Bruce was used to seeing when he was in the wrong.

“Alfred, we’ve talked about this.” 

“He’s smart, Master Bruce, and _very_ perceptive.” Alfred moved forward with his previous point. “Master Dick has already guessed that he’s not the first omega to have been in your bed during a more intimate time, such as a heat, and not just a simple fling.”

Bruce exhaled, his reactions delayed as he thought about what to say. “I’ll talk to him… just not right now.”

“Sir, he has a right to know, especially if you're going to mate with him.” Alfred reaffirmed. “I know it is a sensitive spot for you, but eventually Master Dick will come to find out and you’ll have to deal with the consequences.”

Bruce went from a straight face to a peeved frown within a matter of seconds. “It’s not as big as you make it seem, Alfred. Even if he finds out, it’s not going to change anything between Dick and me.”

“She was a big part of your life, Master Bruce. You cannot just write that off.” Alfred frowned in return. “Notably, after you wasted five years of your life brooding over her death.”

“I’m… I’m through talking about this, Alfred.”

The space between them remained tense with perpetual scowls that mirrored one another, but Alfred was the first to back off in consideration of Dick’s current state.

“Very well, Master Bruce. Forgive me for bringing up such a sensitive topic.” Alfred turned his back toward the alpha. “I will be sleeping in a guestroom on the third floor if you need me.”

Bruce watched him walk away and in spite of his own dismissal of the topic, shame stirred within him. Alfred was right (of course he was) but Bruce would worry about it later; all that mattered now was Dick. 

He quickly went to his room and slowly opened the door, instantly catching a whiff of Dick’s lightly accentuated scent. It wasn’t as strong as it was during his last heat; instead, it was mixed in harmony with Bruce’s own as a result of his clothes and blankets scattered about the room. His lips curled upward as he fixed his gaze on the gorgeous omega stretched out on his bed. 

Bruce has had to learn control ever since he met Dick. He’s never had to control himself when it came to desire and it was _extremely_ difficult. Dick’s clothes all seemed to round out his muscular curves and lithe bends as if they were calling for the alpha’s touch. It drove Bruce insane and he swore sometimes the omega was enticing him on purpose.

As if the omega heard Bruce’s thoughts, Dick reacted, dragging a foot up his bare calf as he looked at the alpha through his thick lashes. “Bruce.” His lips parted in such a way that it drew the alpha forward. He removed his jacket and shoes, already set on taking a shower but first, he wanted to be near his omega.

“Dick.” He spoke softly while he crawled onto the bed and laid behind him. “How are you feeling?” He spoke into his ear, catching a whiff of his sweet aroma.

“You wouldn’t pick up the phone.”

“I’m sorry. I was in a meeting.” Bruce pulled back and rubbed his arm in comfort, eyes naturally drawn to the omegas exposed stomach as he continued talking. “To make up for it, I’ll be at your beck and call for the next two weeks.”

Dick hummed, shoulder turning into Bruce’s chest until he was lying on his back. He blinked sluggishly, bringing light to those deep blue eyes that reflected back at Bruce's own. The alpha would purposely get lost in them for days if he could and he’d be unconcerned about finding a way to escape. 

"It's horrible isn't it?” The omega mumbled after a while. 

“What’s horrible?”

“This.” Dick clutched one of Bruce’s shirts and kicked a couple of them off the bed. “I’m sorry, Bruce... I’m not a proper omega. I can’t even build this nest or whatever this stupid shit is...” He tapered off, rolling back over onto his side.

"It’s alright, my love,” Bruce assured, letting his hand run down the side of Dick’s slender hip. “We'll work on it together."

“So... there’s nothing wrong with me then?”

Bruce wouldn’t deny his amazement at how fragile Dick was acting right now. He’d never seen him this vulnerable before because he usually kept everything in. 

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Dick, you’re perfect.” Bruce kissed his temple, allowing himself the freedom to run his hand further down the length of that soft silky leg. 

“Perfect?” Dick shivered and bent a knee, feeling Bruce’s hand follow. 

“And beautiful.” Bruce moved to peck his cheek.

Dick sighed, his shoulders relaxing, for he was close to feeling sated. “I’m the only one you’ve ever told that too, right?”

Bruce chuckled and wasn’t quite sure how serious Dick was being at the moment, but it was clear that his vulnerability called forth a lot of doubts. Alfred was right, this was very different from Selina, but Bruce concluded that every omega acted differently during their heat periods. “Of course you are.”

“Promise me… promise me that I’m the only one.” 

Bruce pulled the omegas face towards him before dipping down and kissing his warm lips. There was no promise made on Bruce’s end and it would remain absent the longer the kiss went on. Dick was anxious and Bruce strove to quench it even if that meant immersing himself in his own falsehoods.

Because Bruce didn’t lie when he said that Dick was perfect. 

Because he was.

_But so was Selina..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Gasps!
> 
> Comments fuel me guys! 💖💖
> 
> Thanks for reading! You guys are awesome!


	16. Bewitched By Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry, this took longer to write than I expected 😔

**_Letter #11_ **

**_Dear Bruce,_ **

**_I can’t stop staring at it. It’s still all surreal to me. This is the first time I’ve seen you this serious even after you gave me the ring to simply fool my father into thinking I wanted to get married. And now you truly want to?_ **

**_Slow down there, Brucie. We’re only twenty-three years old and I don’t want to settle down just yet. Maybe in a few years, I’ll be more willing. Plus there’s the matter about you wanting to adopt children. You can’t be serious about that, can you? And at such a young age? You should wait at least a few more years for that as well. But who cares about my opinion, right? You’re as stubborn as a mule. You’ll never listen to me._ **

**_Well, whatever you decide, I guess I have no choice other than to follow since we were practically bound to be together for life anyway. It’s unfortunate that we’re not soulmates… I always felt like we were meant to be a pair. Unfortunately, fate doesn’t work that way. All I can hope for now, is never having the chance to meet my own soulmate… nor do I want you to meet yours ever again._ **

**_It’s a selfish thing to say and I know you’ll be mad after you read this, but can you blame me? I’ve always been selfish and I’ll stay that way until the day I die._ **

**_Because you’re mine, Bruce Wayne._ **

**_And no one else’s..._ **

**_Sincerely,_ **

**_S.K._ **

~*~

Dick was caught off guard when Bruce walked in the kitchen as he was finishing the last of his cereal. He quickly put the bowl down on the counter and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, giving the alpha a timid smile.

“Eating cereal again, Dick?”

Dick shrugged. “Guilty as charged.”

“How many bowls did you have this time?” Bruce asked as he walked over to the fridge and pulled out a water bottle.

“Like three.” 

Dick had developed a somewhat hefty obsession with cereal in the times he was left at home alone without anything to do. Bruce had soon caught on when he found Dick in the kitchen every time the effects of his preheat were at their lowest. Somehow, it sparked a conversation about their favorite foods all before Dick started feeling hot and sluggish again. Their little conversations for the last three days were arbitrary but Dick counted them as progress nonetheless. 

“That was my last bowl for now.” Dick moved around the island countertop to pour the rest of the milk down the sink and rinsed out his bowl. He winced upon feeling Bruce’s hand run up the back of his bare thigh.

“You shouldn't be walking around like this.” 

The omega smirked after putting the bowl into the sink and turned around, watching Bruce run his eyes up and down his form. 

“I was only getting ready for my nap,” Dick said innocently while leaning his elbows against the counter. Bruce raised a speculative brow, causing the omega to snicker. “I told you I was hot… _constantly_ hot. I don’t want to wear that many clothes.”

“I assumed you would at least have pants on. You do know that Alfred is still in the house.”

“No shit.” Dick mused. “And you and I both know we haven’t run into him for the past three days. Besides, why wear shorts when I have your big t-shirt to cover up my ass?” Dick raised a leg, sensually running it along the side of Bruce’s thigh. “At least I have my underwear on.”

“Is that supposed to help?”

“You’re so easy to rile up, Bruce. Has the playboy always been like this?” Dick teased, feeling the alpha grab the underside of his knee, keeping his leg in place.

“You’ve been taunting me a lot for the last few days.” Bruce phrased, his tone was warm but his eyes were dark and that rough hand of his was squeezing Dick’s leg.

“What? You don’t like it?”

Bruce touched the omega’s chin, tilting it up. “No,” He swiped a thumb across Dick’s bottom lip, “I’m just not used to holding back.” 

Dick was hopeless at the art of seduction, _or so he thought_. With Bruce it was easy and Dick just loved egging him on.

“You won’t have to hold back for long,” Dick assured him.

“So that’s your final decision then? You won’t be taking the Surge suppressor?”

“Ugh.” Dick sighed. “We’ve already talked about this, Bruce. I’m _never_ taking that shit again.” He gently pushed against the alpha’s firm chest and pried away the grip on his leg before moving around the alpha. “You know the CEO of Surge Enterprises, right? His name was uh… Calabrese or something like that.” Dick walked out of the kitchen and Bruce followed him.

“Yes, his name is Rex Calabrese,” Bruce responded, eyes drawn to the length of the omega's legs. “What about him?”

“Mm, well,” Dick turned a corner and into a hallway leading to the main living room. “I think it’s time you two had a talk.”

“About the medicine?” Bruce inquired. “I don’t know if I can help with that. It’s not really my expertise.”

“Yeah, but you have a lot of influence.” Dick flopped down on a wide chaise lounge chair. It was situated in the middle of two floor fans that he had Bruce bring downstairs earlier. “Plus, that company wouldn’t even be as big as it is without your grandfather's donations.”

“That’s not how all this works, Dick.” Bruce sat down next to the omega, watching him lay his head back on the cushion and close his eyes. “I had no participation in the making of that company.” 

“So you guys have no dealings at all?”

“We used to, not so much anymore.” 

“Why is that?”

Bruce hesitated before he answered. “Complicated businessman stuff.”

“Complicated, huh?” Dick laughed and opened his eyes, peering up at Bruce. “Too complicated that you can’t even make a complaint?”

“I’d rather not do that.”

“Bruce,” Dick huffed in annoyance. “It’s not normal for that shit to hurt as much as it did. I’ve read some forums too so I know that I’m not the only omega complaining about it.”

“You read forums?”

“Don’t act so surprised. When no one’s home, there’s really nothing else to do. But that’s besides the point.” Dick spluttered, wanting to shift back to the prior issue. 

Bruce chuckled. “What did they say, Dick?”

“Apparently, it wasn’t always like this. The complaints started coming in about three or four years ago.”

Bruce frowned, now seeming to be curious and listened with earnest.

“I think they’re trying to cover it up which is why it’s never been on the news or anything like that.” Dick continued. “What’s strange is that I heard that Rex Calabrese guy had a daughter who died around that time and she was an omega as well... A coincidence, I think not.” Dick mused before clearing his throat when Bruce gave no reaction. “Um… I’m just kidding. I know it must have been hard for him to deal with that.” 

“...I’m sure it was.” Bruce turned, taking his feet off the chair and sat with his back facing the omega.

Dick grabbed the alpha’s arm, not wanting him to move away. “Bruce, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking about how to contact him.”

Dick sat up. “You’re serious? You’re going to talk to him?”

“Yes, yes,” Bruce waved him off. “I’ll talk to him for you and on the behalf of your little... forum.”

“Thank you!” Dick hugged him from behind, placing kisses on his neck where the tattoo lay. “Jay was right.”

“Jason?” This made Bruce turn around, putting Dick’s arms in an awkward position as he tried to keep them around the alpha. “Right about what?”

Eventually, Dick let go and fell back on his haunches, looking up at Bruce with a grin. “That you can’t deny me anything. I mean, I already knew that, but Jason reaffirmed it last night when I texted him about the problem.”

“You and Jason have really gotten close lately.”

“I guess you can say that.” Dick yawned after his last word, stretching out on the couch in the process. “He’s been really open with me.” 

Bruce narrowed his eyes. “I feel like you're implying something.”

Dick shrugged, giving Bruce a look. “Don’t worry, you’ve gotten better. I think this time alone has really done us some good.” He stood up from the couch with his back facing the alpha and stretched some more.

“Well, I’m glad then.” Bruce eyed Dick from behind.

Dick turned around, tugging down the winding hem of his shirt. “I’m getting sleepy.” 

“And you want me to carry you upstairs?”

“No, you have to carry up those.” Dick nonchalantly pointed to the floor fans. “And just so you know, I’m turning the AC down past 60°. Is that okay?”

Bruce sighed and gave an airy laugh. “You already know what I’m going to say, Dick. Remember? I can’t deny you anything.”

Dick smiled brightly and stooped low, placing a chaste kiss on the alpha’s lips. “And I appreciate it very much, big guy.” 

~*~

Dick was in a state of limbo. He was phasing between the line of being awake and asleep all at the same time. He could barely even stand up without Bruce’s help at this point. It was inevitable but Dick’s heat was growing closer and his body needed the rest beforehand. As a consequence, his body shut down on its own accord even when he was adamant about staying awake. As hard as it was, it was exactly what he was forcing himself to do right now. Simply basking in the room's low light, surrounded by Bruce’s powerful scent as he showered Dick with lazy kisses on the back of his neck. The mood was soothing and it was so easy to unwind in the arms of his alpha, who was spooning him from behind. Such ease seemed to spark occasional conversations between the two about everything and nothing at all. It came as a surprise to Dick when Bruce was being as open as he was about various things. Perhaps it was the omega’s pheromones that brought about Bruce’s disclosure, or maybe he’d become aware of Dick’s worries. Whatever the case may be, the omega wasn’t about to question it.

“Moon River? You know that song?" Bruce asked, his breath hovering over the back of Dick’s neck.

“Yeah, just a bit. My... mom used to sing it to me all the time to put me to sleep.” Dick let his mind approach some of his more terrific memories. “It’s sad to say, but she was tone-deaf.” He gave a fleeting laugh. “I’m guessing you know how that went.”

Bruce smiled. “Did she know?”

Dick nodded, his own sleepy smile growing. “Yeah, she knew, but my dad and I never commented on it. She was always a little sensitive.”

“That makes me a little afraid to know what she’d think about me.”

“She would… most likely be a little skeptical about our age difference.”

Bruce sighed, hand stopping its slow caress on Dick’s hip. “I thought we’d silently moved past that since you’ve never brought it up.”

“I mean, I’m speaking on her behalf here.” The omega’s reply was riddled with drowsiness. “Even though thirty-five is not that old, you _are_ ten years older than me and she would definitely say something about it.” He sighed wearily. “Plus, we kinda can’t help it. It’s not like we, ourselves, decided we should be together.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Bruce differed. “In a way, we did choose.”

“Bruce,” Dick huffed a laugh. “You’re seriously saying you would have let me leave the day we met?”

“Well…” He faltered. “No, but… no, I wouldn’t have.”

“See?” Dick retorted before yawning softly.

Bruce sighed. “What I mean is, is that we had a choice in how things should develop.”

“Mm,” Dick pondered for a short while and eventually closed his eyes. “I guess you’re right. I know my parents would appreciate you saying that. I only wish you could have met them.” 

It was quiet for a brief moment and Dick was starting to nod off, only to be roused by Bruce’s warm voice. “I wish you could’ve met mine as well.”

A rush of appreciation filled Dick’s mind. “Would they have liked me?”

“Of course they would’ve,” Bruce chuckled. “I think they would have liked you more than me.”

Dick simpered as his eyes grew heavy. “You’re just saying that.”

“I’m being very serious.”

“Well now because you’ve said that, you have to tell me what they were like.” The omega requested sluggishly as he tried his hardest to stay awake.

“They were... barely home for the most part but that never stopped them from trying their hardest to please me.”

“Now who does that remind you of?” 

Bruce huffed with amusement. “Go to sleep, Dick.”

“Mm… but I want to talk some more...” 

“We’ll talk later, my love. Get some rest for now.” Bruce kissed the back of Dick’s neck, inhaling his scent before hearing the omega’s breath even out as he drifted off.

~*~

In Dick’s wake, a familiar feeling overcame him that same night. He opened his eyes and grumbled with his body heavy and grounded against the warm blankets. Awareness raised in his nerves sometime after his sweaty skin resumed its perpetual burning. It could hardly even compare to his preheat, this was way beyond the physical need of a cooldown provided by a simple floor fan. The burn called to be placated from somewhere within. In someplace confined that had a constant torrid of itching as it dampened his underwear.

Dick had slept on his stomach, as it seems, forcing him to press his hands onto the bed and push up. He groaned, his back resisting the upward bend but he was alert and blinked down at the presence beside him. He sought to sit up fully, only to be mocked by a burst of dizziness as his arms gave out and he collapsed back onto the bed. He murmured in his sluggish unrest and instead turned onto his side, stopping short when a gush of slick eased out of his rear. He whined and fell onto his back, melting against the innumerable amount of fabrics that carried the scent of his alpha.

 _Alpha…_ he mentally remarked, to some extent, wishing that Bruce could read his mind and that somehow their emotional connection remained constant. Because who knew that Bruce being asleep would be a negative factor in his heat-induced trance. Dick’s vision soon turned foggy, hazy, as he deadpanned at the back of Bruce’s head who seemed to have put some distance between them when Dick was asleep. 

“Al…pha…” The strained call seemed to rouse the hard sleeping alpha as he promptly looked over at Dick. Desire immediately doused Bruce’s expression before he quickly crossed the short distance between them and leaned over him at an angle. 

“Dick.” The alpha whispered his name like the tune of a soft diminuendo. “I’m here, my love.” The omega sighed at the sound before yanking Bruce down by the neck and smashing their lips together. The angle was awkward, but Dick was more or less able to kiss his alpha and it was all the more bruising when the immersion disappeared. He had no time to worry about his skill in kissing or lack thereof when a relentless passion took hold of him.

Bruce agreed, in light of his sudden movement as he arranged himself between Dick’s legs and caged him in between his burly arms. Not once did their mouths separate. They couldn’t even do it if they tried, not without uncurling their tongues and withdrawing from Dick’s firm hold. In an unbinding movement, the omega lifted his hips to grind his twitching erection into the alpha’s own, finally breaking away from the kiss with a gasp. A thread of saliva dribbled onto Dick’s chin and Bruce began to mouth against his neck, making him arch his back in an attempt to further the friction but it wasn’t anywhere near enough. Dick needed direct contact but his clothes were restricting him. 

“Touch me.” Dick’s voice trembled as he reached down and pulled at the alphas underwear. "Anywhere… hurry-- do anything you want to me." He begged.

Bruce shushed him and thumbed his cheek with reassurance in his expression because the alpha didn’t need any more encouragement. With that overwhelming aroma in the air, he was just as hard as Dick was and just as desperate too. 

Dick watched in despair as Bruce pulled away. “Alpha… don’t.” Solely based on instinct, he tried to follow after him.

“Stay.”

Dick froze and whined. “Alpha.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Bruce promised him. “Be good for me and I’ll take care of you.”

The omega’s heart thumped at those same words he’d so adamantly rejected months ago. They now rang true and he had no reason to refuse them this time around. Dick chose this. He was free to do whatever he wanted. Here, now, in Bruce’s bedroom-- in _their_ bedroom. So the omega obeyed, in an effort to relax and quell their long-overdue intimacy. 

_He’d let Bruce take care of him._

Dick laid back on his elbows, eyes never leaving Bruce as he stripped himself of his underwear, biting his lip when he caught sight of the alpha’s large manhood. He’d seen it before--of course, he had--but before he hadn’t been leaking from his ass, practically soaking the sheet in yearning. The longing that whispered through his omega had Dick hastily shrugging off his shirt. He threw it to the side, seeing it flutter somewhere beyond the pile of clothes and blankets. Dick didn’t even have time to reach for his underwear before Bruce was beside him, placing a hand on top of his.

The omega looked up into Bruce’s eyes, feeling a palm press against his chest until he was lying flat on the bed. “Relax and let me do the rest.” 

Bruce’s gentleness was _very_ practiced. _This_ , Dick knew. 

Adept and perfected. 

Experienced and well versed. 

So much so that Bruce’s facial expression remained calm even when his cock was standing tall and his emotions were filled with lust. It was something the omega didn’t understand. And Dick wouldn't realize it then but it was something he didn’t know he needed until now. 

Bringing Dick’s legs to one side, the alpha lifted the curve of the omega’s back, sliding his shorts down the length of his long limbs. Once free of the confines, Dick closed his legs, knees knocking together as he rubbed his thighs back and forth. For him, the damp feeling was clammy and uncomfortable but Bruce’s eye’s seemed all the more drawn to the place between his legs.

Dick allowed the heavy weight of Bruce's hands to part his inner thighs, crooning as he did. He was fully exposed. All for his alpha. And he wanted nothing more than to drown in the imminent pleasure.

“You’re so beautiful.”

Dick didn’t quite catch what Bruce said because he was too focused on having to catch his breath when a hand wrapped around his erection. Then a moan slipped past his lips and- _Fuck_ -! he was sensitive. _Too_ sensitive. Bruce’s focus was steady but the hand on his cock was not. This was- _oh-!_ A single stroke, then another, faster this time and Dick’s legs were trembling. It wasn’t until Bruce held them still and progressively kissed his way down his inner thigh, that the omega realized where this was going.

Dick gripped the blankets below, breath hitching at his pending anticipation. Already dripping with pre-cum, Dick’s cock twitched when Bruce spread his legs even wider and placed one last kiss on his thigh.

“Alpha…” Dick whined, temporarily squirming forward with need. 

“Shh, I have you.” Bruce soothed before dipping down to taste the tip of the omega’s cock.

Dick cried out and threw his head back, feeling his spine curl in bliss. It was _so, so warm_ \- and Bruce went deeper with a tongue creeping around the base. The omega moaned and attempted to raise his hips but something was locking his legs in place. Bruce’s hands were holding down his thighs. Dick whined and grabbed the alpha’s head, trying to move his hips again but it was to no avail. He’d have to stay still. 

To replace his shaking need, Dick widened his legs a bit more, keeping his hands snug in the alpha’s hair. He panted and watched Bruce work his aching cock, twitching as a gush of slick coasted out of his hole, groaning, “Bruce...” 

_He felt good; everything about this felt so damn good but…_

Clenching around the emptiness, the omega heaved and let his head fall to the side. “B-Bruce.” He said again, gasping as the slurping sounds let up and Dick thought Bruce was going to pull away. But under no circumstance did he expect the alpha to swallow him even deeper--“Ahhn-!” Dick couldn’t help but moan loudly, the sound piercing his own ears with surprise. “ _Fuck_ -” he cursed then arched his back, his fingers digging into Bruce’s skull. His nails were sure to leave creases underneath the strands of hair breaking between his fingers. This made Bruce grimace and in no time, he was withdrawing his mouth, leaving Dick’s cock in the open cool air.

“Don’t stop... “ Dick’s breaths were shallow, seeing Bruce lick his moistened lips. By making a mess of the alpha’s hair, he had lost his forbearing look, now appearing more disheveled than ever. But not even that could disrupt the confident and good-looking Bruce Wayne.

“You pull my hair any harder and I’ll go bald before I’m forty,” Bruce said gruffly, a handsome smile playing on his lips.

Even with the haze of his heat, Dick couldn't help but smile back and let go of Bruce’s hair. “Sorry.” He breathed, pleased that the alpha went back to sucking his cock without difficulty-- this time though, he wasn’t holding Dick down.

The omega’s body shuddered in approval, submitting himself to freely rocking his hips and keeping his hand on Bruce’s shoulders instead. “Mm…” He hummed, his grip tightening in a new recurring cycle of making his alpha wince. Dick didn’t let up on his strength this time around, somewhat unashamed by it. It was uncouth and a little naughty but Dick wanted to grab ahold of Bruce’s hair once again. Absorbed in his own urges and cravings, Dick did just that, causing Bruce to grunt. _Yes,_ Dick keened, grinding upward, for the pleasure was too great and the slurping was something that he found that he liked and- _fuck_ _he was going to come_. It was too soon but his mind was reeling.

“Bru- I’m co--” With hair clutched between his fingers, straining and towing, Dick came with a feverish spurt.

Bruce growled and grasped the omega’s wrist, removing it from his potentially irritated scalp. Dick stared at the ceiling, still trembling from his orgasm. He didn’t take notice of his alpha’s expression until Bruce’s face was hovering over his, seeming to be rubbing at a spot on his head. The omega took notice then reached out to card a gentle hand through his alpha’s hair.

"I hope this will not be a normal occurrence." 

“Sorry…” Dick grumbled again as he attempted to stay sane enough to speak a little more, but in no time, his cock was twitching with life. Mind once more clouded with lust, he whimpered and pressed himself against Bruce's stomach. 

“What am I going to do with you.” Bruce murmured before sinking low and mashing their lips together. 

Dick’s mouth was molten, unresisting even as he tasted himself on the alpha’s lips. Then there was a throb; a pulse on the back of his neck that had him gushing from below. His scent surged through the air. It was strong and capable enough to shut down his focus entirely. “Alpha…” Dick panted against Bruce’s lips as his concentration dwindled and his backside throbbed.

_He needed to be knotted._

The alpha growled, causing the omega to quiver under his touch and Dick swore that Bruce could finally read his mind. But as their shared emotions would have it, everything was always easily revealed. 

_Everything._

Dick felt a hand gliding over the scars on his chest, making him gasp as that same hand ran across his nipples.

“Flip over.” Not unlike an alpha order, Bruce’s voice rumbled through his ears, guiding him through his trek to turn over.

Through the fogginess of his mind, Dick presented flawlessly with his upper half sprawled out on the bed and his ass in the air. 

The sound was dampened by the thick cloths, but Dick could hear it as much as he could feel it-- his slick dripping against the sheets below. The sound was even more prominent in the silence of the room. And Bruce was staring at him. Bruce was _unquestionably_ staring at him. Admiring him, perhaps, and no doubt savoring the sight.

Dick flinched, mouth going wide as he felt two fingers entering his sopping hole. 

“Look at you. _So_ perfect for me.”

Dick keened, clenching around the slight stretch, spreading him around on the inside. He shuddered, his cheek pressing heavily into the pillow as he started to rock back.

“So wonderfully wet.”

 _So good-_ Just two fingers and the omega was flooding, slick being pushed and pulled conjointly under the idle prodding. And inside… inside he was- something was- “ _Nngh-_ !” Dick spasmed, his back bowing like a cat as the bend of Bruce’s fingers grazed over a certain spot. _What was that?_ Dick questioned, body going back to its original position at the press of Bruce’s big hand against his back.

The alpha grumbled something then he was working Dick’s asshole again, nudging along the same spot repeatedly. “G-god!” The omega’s hands latched onto the pillow and grounded his knees on the bed, trying to balance his shaking body. “Th-there!” Dick kept pushing back, moaning noisily at the constant stimulation not even realizing he’d come until Bruce removed his fingers.

“No, no!” Dick wept. “Alpha, please, _please_ don’t stop.” He was begging and craving for his alpha’s touch. _He wanted it so bad. He needed it. Why wasn’t his alpha touching him!?_

By the time Dick made the decision to turn over, Bruce’s hand was climbing up his back and soon he was leaning over him, puffing hot air on the back of the omega’s neck. “I’m right here.” Bruce’s voice rumbled, easing Dick’s worries.

“Alpha… _please-_ ” The omega’s scent glands throbbed and Bruce kissed him there, forcing a whimper out of him. “I-I need you… _please_ -” Dick pushed back, gasping at the feel of Bruce’s hard cock against the crack of his ass. “Hurry… Bruce, hurry!” 

A low hum came from the alpha’s throat as he placed one final kiss on Dick’s glands before sitting up. “Are you ready for me?” 

“Yes, yes- please...” Dick sobbed and arched his back, even more, pushing his ass a little higher. “...Please- _Alpha_ …” 

At first, there was shock and disbelief because it was astounding and incredible. The stretch, _oh God, oh fuck-!! It hurt and Dick couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t breathe--_

“Breathe,” Bruce ordered, rubbing circles on Dick’s lower back in encouragement.

Dick gasped.

“That’s it.” Bruce drove in deeper.

Dick clenched.

Bruce grunted, stopping his drive. “Don’t fight it, my love.” He panted.

“A lo- goin- inside,” Dick spoke with broken words, taking deep breaths when Bruce started to move again. Dick whimpered and the alpha hushed him, advancing forward at an even slower pace until he could no longer move.

Dick felt full; _so full._ And complete. And whole.

Bruce pulled back and Dick’s mouth fell open, his heart nearly stopping when the alpha pushed back in. _It was too much._

“Not- not so dee-” Dick‘s complaint died on his lips and he let a piercing moan replace it as the alpha hit the same spot from before. _It was there; the same spot_. It had Dick gushing more slick, feeling it slid down his inner thighs and onto the sheets. And he was drooling on the pillow, looking off into the distance as the alpha’s thrust developed a natural steady movement.

Bruce draped himself over Dick’s back, placing open mouth kisses along his curving spine. “Dick.” He panted, seeming to be just as lost in pleasure as the omega was. 

That’s when Dick let go and responded in just by rocking back onto his alpha’s large cock, loving the burning friction. This seemed to stir Bruce further and he sped up, sending the omega’s hips forward and suddenly, Dick was coming untouched. 

“Ahh-!” With a tremor, the omega gave a sharp exhale, feeling the permanent pulsing at the back of his neck quicken. “Deeper… I need-- uhn!” 

Dick wailed when Bruce heeded his request and let go of his sight, choosing to close his eyes so he could simply feel. To feel his hole twitch around the wide stretch, wanting to somehow pull the alpha’s cock further inside and keep him there. To feel the alpha’s fingers run over the part where they were connected. To feel Bruce’s chest against his back with the caress of his lips barely-- _just barely_ \--nipping the back of his neck. _It was exhilarating, it was too much, it was just what he needed_. 

The alpha continued splitting him and Dick’s voice bled into shallow gasps at every thrust. He felt dizzy and Dick never knew he needed this fullness until Bruce was wedged deep inside of him-- s _o deep._ He wanted to stay like this forever, with Bruce pounding him, keeping them together as one.

It was sudden and Dick had no time to react when a brawny arm dove under his stomach and pulled him up, straightening his torso. He moved willingly, sitting back on Bruce’s lap and slumping back against the alpha’s sweaty chest. Dick crooned, shivering at the cool air wafting over his damp spread thighs as Bruce kissed his bare neck, splaying both hands over his chest. 

“Mm…” Dick arched into the alpha’s touch, crooning at the soft fondle of his nipples.

“You like that?”

The omega nodded and in a gradual manner, he reached back, latching his arms around the alpha’s neck, making it easier for him to move. With abandon, Dick moaned as he dropped his hips down in unison, his chest heaving as he did. 

“Beautiful.” Bruce declared while trailing a palm up the omega’s neck, holding him there. “ _So beautiful_.”

Dick’s breath hitched, at the press of Bruce’s lips on his jaw, making his skin tingle. “Kiss… me…” He whispered and they were soon brutally molding their mouths together, teeth clanking, threatening to break the skin of their lips. In the end, Dick’s bottom lip did bleed and the pain was piercing but he repaid the favor by lacing his fingers through Bruce’s hair and tugging it in the same way he did before. It was a reward for Dick in a strange way. His reasons for loving the feeling of Bruce’s hair between his fingers would go unexplored, for now. As long as the alpha kept curtly filling him, Dick couldn't concentrate on anything.

Bruce flinched briefly but didn’t try to pull away from Dick’s persistent grasp, instead, he sped up his thrust with a low groan. The omega held on tighter, throwing his head back as his erection twitched. He was going to come again. _How many times has it been already? Two? Three? Maybe even more. He’d lost count long ago and now-_

“Dick,” Bruce panted with a staggering thrust, his hands now digging into Dick’s hips. “I need you to take a deep breath for me.”

“Wha--?” Dick stopped short, eyes going wide at Bruce’s knot growing inside him. He whined and scratched at his lower stomach, feeling his hole stretch at an uncomfortable rate. “Oh-! A-alpha…” The omega called desperately.

“You’re doing well, my love.” Bruce praised him and his omega swooned.

“Alpha, I’m-I’m… Ahn--!” Dick threw his head back, freeing his lascivious pheromones as he climaxed, squirting onto his stomach. Catching his breath, he watched the ceiling with blurry vision, aware that his body was losing strength as it sagged back against Bruce’s chest.

_Bliss…_

_Pure bliss..._

It was an enlightening kind of pleasure and Dick just accomplished it through his laden heat. It couldn't get any more enjoyable than what he’d just experienced and yet, his omega called for something more.

It was strange. Almost daunting. As if the unseeable pull knew what they’d both decided to do in advance. It wasn’t simply calling them together. _No..._ it was… forcing and progressing their every step; ordering them to move forward. For it was never a coincidence that they met that night, it was fate that inevitably brought them together and it was destiny that they would inevitably become one.

_To mate._

_To bond._

_To unify._

The whole notion was strange but somehow, Dick understood it. He’s wanted to mate with Bruce since the first time they met. It would have been natural to do so only if Dick had been a normal person. But instead, they waited. It was regrettable, but they both suffered through it together and now, neither of them could wait any longer.

An overwhelming scent surrounded the omega and he suddenly felt the need to bare his neck. Then Bruce kissed him there, directly in the middle of his aching glands, whispering words of comfort that made the omega feel safe and secure. 

Dick felt teeth piercing his skin and he cried out.

_It felt brilliant._

_It felt never-ending._

_It felt final._

In a state of calm certainty, Dick professed now, then, and there that Bruce Wayne was his… 

Finally his...

_And no one else's…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments appreciated 😊😊😊


	17. Eternal Bond

How long had it been since they last spoke to one another? Hours? Days? At this point, they didn’t know, for they were separated from the world around them. Truthfully, they did conversate here and there but not using their mouths. Without saying a word they somehow seemed to understand and comprehend each other’s notions. Whereas before they only felt one another’s base emotions, it was now like a natural affinity binding their emotions together as one. To feel each other’s pleasure and pain all in one impulse was something that felt so strange but so natural at the same time. 

_This was the effect of their bond._

It was as if their bodies were talking to each other, pushing them towards a greater enjoyment. And just when they thought it couldn’t get any more gratifying, they were swept up in an experience even more pleasurable than before. Every time they joined together, it got better and better; so much so, they were surprised every time it happened. Their new connection brought about a deeper level of intimacy and they couldn’t think of another time where they didn’t feel connected. It would seem that their lovemaking had reached a point that was beyond physical and so did their words. Their souls from their past lives had connected once more.

_Mine._

_Yours._

The sensations of those words rang throughout their heads and those very same words sent them into a frenzy, further ruining the grand nest they built together. Dick, especially, didn’t care or seem to notice, as he was too busy locking eyes with Bruce during their everlasting motion. Not once did Dick look away even as his head rocked back against the pillow with several strands of his hair seeking to block his vision. Not even when Bruce’s knot swelled, threatening to rip him apart, and filled him with copious amounts of cum-- did he look away. 

Hands grasping the pillow under his head, Dick trembled as he observed his alpha, who in turn, watched him. Shortly thereafter when the pulsations subsided, Bruce knocked their foreheads together and took a shuddering breath. Dick canted up and kissed the alpha’s lips, attempting to grind on the alpha’s thick girth only to be stopped by Bruce’s hold on his hips. Dick whined, pulled back, and eyed the alpha with frustration until Bruce quietly shushed him. The omega abandoned his intentions and tilted forward, nuzzling his face into Bruce’s neck. His scent was different than before but no less addicting and Dick found himself obsessed with it.

Their scenting went on for a while longer and eventually Bruce slowly pulled out his deflated knot. Dick gasped softly, loving the feel of the alpha’s cum pouring out of his twitching hole along with his slick, blending their fragrances. Surely it was staining the blankets below, but Dick was uninterested in the slew of a mess they would have to deal with later. All that mattered now was getting fucked again.

Dick pulled his legs to his chest, quivering at the sticky trail easing down the crevice of his butt. He whimpered and clenched around the void space between his legs, practically begging to be filled. For a fraction of a second, Bruce stared down at him, stroking himself in concurrence with his heaving chest and dilated pupils. Dick’s gaze explored the sight appreciatively and Bruce, the ever so committed alpha, gave the omega exactly what he wanted by pushing back inside. 

Dick’s lips parted slightly, letting out a shuddering breath, at the familiar stretch and the plentiful fit. With his calves now bracketed on Bruce’s shoulders, practically folding him in half, it made hitting his prostate easier. All the more so when the alpha was once again, quickly thrusting inside of him.

“A-ahn…!” Dick came undone as Bruce revived the pleasure that was lost during their short separation. He couldn’t explain how his body was feeling during these times but he knew it was more than just simple lust. The strong emotional link between them seemed to intensify everything and the harder it was, the more it hurt, and the more it stung the better it felt. The sensations hardly made sense to Dick and yet his omega willingly accepted it all, for he was sure his heart would stop if they separated again.

Through their brisk chemistry, Dick’s voice slowly started to wane in volume, cracking in short rasps when the alpha fitted against him. His throat was burning and it had been for a few days now-- _if that's even how long they’ve been going at it._ But that didn’t disrupt his constant moaning nor could he be bothered with letting it. He was too far gone with his thighs shivering, wavering, feeling a rare sort of satisfaction.

Dick let go of his legs when Bruce grabbed onto them himself, pushing the omega’s knees all the way to his chest. Dick’s legs tingled at the stretch, his head lulling to the side when the alpha went harder as he brought his hands to Bruce’s shoulders.

“Nghn--I’m co…” Dick groaned and he dug his fingernails into the alpha’s skin, mouth going wide before he spasmed. The climax was amazing and it seemed to last forever, especially with Bruce still thrusting into him. The omega felt cum sliding down the side of his waist from where it splattered on his stomach. Somehow he’d grown used to feeling sticky all over, mostly with Bruce’s thick seed drenching his hole with every knot. 

And, truthfully, he could never have enough of it.

Not even when they eventually took a shower together and Dick ultimately grew tired of Bruce touching his body with a washcloth and not his hands. He found himself actively trying to rub one off against the alpha’s thigh, feeling slick mix in with the running water sliding down his leg. He hiked up one leg around Bruce and pulled him down for a kiss, keening at the smooth caress of his shaft nudging against the alpha’s wet skin. Bruce groaned in return and ended up dropping the towel before he pushed Dick against the wall and picked him up, wrapping both of the omega’s legs around his hips.

With a tight grip, Dick held onto the alpha’s shoulders, fearful at being dropped due to his back slipping against the wall. In actuality, it only seemed to make Bruce’s thrust easier to handle and Dick absolutely enjoyed the ride. As he was bounced up and down, feeling nearly weightless in the alpha’s arms, he gasped for breath, having no way to stop his oncoming ejaculation. He practically screamed, slowly scratching his nails down the alpha’s chest until his voice finally gave out and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. With Bruce holding up his legs, still plunging inside of him for what felt like hours, Dick came again, this time going listless and limp, falling forward onto the alpha’s chest. Bruce continued to hold him without effort, even as he panted harshly and his knot began to form, causing the omega to weakly convulse after each surge of cum. Before long, Dick’s limbs became numb and he gradually started to lose strength before he finally blacked out.

.

.

.

Dick could sense that his alpha had left the nest even before the empty feeling yanked his eyes open. He groaned, swaying as he sat up, eyes slowly darting around the room, only to squint when a streak of sunlight stole his sight away. And like always, his alpha was nowhere to be found.

“Alpha…” Dick said and from nowhere he could feel a sensation soothing his worry, causing him to progressively settle back on the bed. He stared blankly at the ceiling as the sensation remained in his mind and appeased his omega. Dick soon closed his eyes when the same feeling seemed to approach him from afar, coming closer and closer until cold air spilled over his skin from the bedroom door opening and closing.

The bed dipped beside Dick’s head and he opened his eyes, quickly looking toward the direction of the movement. He sighed when he caught sight of his alpha who was holding a bowl in his hand. The omega sat up and as soon as the alpha leaned back against the headboard, Dick was on him, straddling his thighs. The omega immediately looked down at the space between them, noticing Bruce had boxers on and his first reaction was to pull the waistband back.

“I brought some food for you.”

Dick heard Bruce speak but didn’t look up until the troublesome fabric was a little ways down the alpha’s thighs. Then the omega was crushing their lips together and pulling on the alpha’s neck so they were closer than ever.

“Dick,” Bruce said against the omega’s lips, pushing him back so he could talk. “I need you to eat some food for me.” He said while placing the bowl of fruit down on the bed next to him.

Dick frowned, evidently confused but persisted forward and reconnected their lips, feeling his rear leaking with slick. At exactly the wrong time did the alpha once again deny Dick, by pushing him away.

“Eat, my love.” 

Dick whined and shook his head, attempting to rock down on the alpha’s twitching cock. “Alpha- please… _p-please...”_

Bruce seemed to falter but still kept a firm hand on Dick’s hip, not even wavering when the omega whimpered more pleas. 

“You need to eat.”

“Please…” Dick proceeded to beg. “I want you inside- _Alpha_ … please...”

“Eat first, then I’ll give you what you need,” Bruce stated simply as he brought a piece of fruit to the omega’s mouth.

 _His alpha was denying him. Why?_

Dick’s rationale understood why but his omega was overly confused and so he continued to buck back and forth on the alpha’s lap. He leaned forward and completely bypassed the fruit as he rubbed his cheek against the alpha’s neck instead. “Please, alpha… i-inside me… _I want it.”_ He tried once more, suddenly feeling Bruce’s rough hands lift his hips, spread him open then sink inside his oozing hole. The omega wept with delight, feeling full in all the right places. As a consequence, Dick tried to move, only to be denied again! Dick found himself crying as he pulled back to look into the alpha’s eyes.

“Move… p-please-” Dick requested and by no means did the alpha let up his firm grasp. “Alpha please, hurry… move-” He begged some more as he clamped down around his alpha’s cock, hoping to persuade him.

“Eat, and I will move,” Bruce said, trying his hardest to refrain from fucking the omega. 

“N-no, alpha please…” Dick urged while placing small kisses on the alpha’s lips. “Fuck me… hurry...”

Bruce closed his eyes, trying to control himself and concluded that this was one of the moments where he needed to use an order. Otherwise, Dick would be going two more days without eating anything. 

“ _Eat_.” He commanded, feeling the omega stiffen on top of him and pull back. They briefly exchanged glances and Dick’s expression seemed to droop a bit as he opened his mouth, readily accepting the fruit in Bruce’s hand. 

Dick was bound by the alpha’s order and chewed accordingly. Truth is, even as he ate, the flavor was nonexistent for his body was simply moving by command. The omega found himself glancing at Bruce a couple of times to see if he’d satisfied his alpha. In response, Bruce stroked Dick’s cheek, expression silently revealing his remorse as he fed the omega the rest of the fruit. Bruce quickly put the bowl on the nightstand just as Dick started squirming on his lap.

“Alpha… now...” Dick huffed as he started to move on his own, raising his hips and slowly pressing back down. A moan escaped the omega and then Bruce’s mouth was on his nipples, biting and sucking, recurrent to his soft panting.

Dick was so wet inside, squeezing the alpha at just the right pressure and he was making the most wonderful sounds. What Bruce learned over the past four days was that Dick was insatiable. There was nothing that the alpha could compare this to either. With Dick clinging to him, Bruce could barely even hold himself together as it is. He still felt bad for losing himself in the shower when Dick had fainted and he didn't want that happening again. But with every second he found himself submerged in the omega’s warmth, he was losing control. 

“Bruce…” Dick slowed down, undoubtedly growing weaker, seeing as his legs were wobbling before he stopped moving completely. “Harder… please…” He asked in a sweet voice that pulled the alpha away from his chest.

Bruce easily obeyed and with his hands splayed on Dick’s ass, he moved the omega in his stead. He grunted when the omega bowed forward in his lap, displaying his throat followed by a concert of moans.

“ _Yes_ … there-!” Dick writhed onto the alpha’s thrust that soon turned into violent pumping and it didn’t give the omega any time to breathe. “So-… big...”

A surge of compulsion took over Dick as his hands tangled themselves into the alpha’s hair-- bending his back in such a way so it was easier to fuck him deep. When it was this deep, filling him perfectly, he always found himself coming too early. Like now when he came untouched for the umpteenth time but his alpha continued moving inside of him. Soon, Bruce was pushing Dick back onto the bed with a low growl, lightly biting his collarbone that had already been littered with bruises. 

“Haa… aah!” Dick rasped, letting his hands fall to the alpha’s back, automatically digging in his nails. As much as his neck was bruised, he was positive that Bruce’s back was in the same condition. It was because Dick couldn’t go without holding onto something when he was being stuffed so full.

Bruce bit him again, filthy slapping sounds drowning out his deep groaning. Judging by how hard the alpha was breathing and how much his cock was twitching, he was going to- _oh-!_

Dick’s breath hitched, bruisingly dragging his fingernails down the side of the alpha’s back as a swell of overflowing cum pumped inside of him. He surrendered to the bulging length with ease, gasping sporadically before wrapping his legs around Bruce’s back, bringing him closer. And even after the knot had come and gone, Dick had no desire to pull away; he never wanted to. He would just beg to be fucked once more so he could reignite that feeling of being complete. Then he would drown in that sensation and let his mind roam. 

~*~

The next morning Dick cringed at the clammy feeling of slick and cum nestled between his thighs and practically everywhere else on the bed. In his attempt to move away from the mess and off of the bed, instead of standing up like a normal person, his legs gave out and he fell onto the floor with a yelp. Too many realizations dawned on him then, with the fact that his hips were weak, his throat was sore, and Bruce was nowhere to be seen (as per usual). This time though, the alpha wasn’t far away; he came out of the bathroom and quickly gathered the aching omega into his arms.

"I swear for once can you just be in the bed when I wake up?" Dick lamented when the alpha gently placed him on his feet and started up the shower.

“I can’t promise that,” Bruce gave a small laugh. “Not when you like to sleep in and I don’t.”

Dick scoffed, not really in the mood to make a reply when his throat was hurting so badly. He chose to ignore his irritation and let his body drench in the steaming water. Initially, he was going to clean himself off until Bruce dutifully offered to help and Dick let him. It was nice not having to do anything with his sore muscles and all the nicer when Bruce ran him a hot bath for him to relax in. And he did, without a second thought.

Dick lay his head back on the bath pillow and listened to Bruce moved around the bedroom. “You’re not going to join me?” He called out to him after a while.

“I can’t right now. I have to change the sheets then I have an on-call meeting soon.”

“...Kay.” Dick sighed before hearing a knock on the bedroom door then Bruce and Alfred were talking. A moment later, Bruce walked into the bathroom and placed two pills and a glass of cold water on the rim of the tub.

“What’s this for?”

“For your throat and headache.”

Dick looked down at the pills then back to Bruce with a blank stare.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing… thanks,” Dick replied and hid his feelings as best as he could.

“You try and relax.” The alpha leaned down and kissed his forehead. “I won’t be gone for long.”

Dick nodded and watched him go before looking back down at the pills. Skepticism beheld him as he took the medicine before leaning back against the bath pillow. “You and Alfred are experts, huh?” He mumbled shortly after he heard the alpha leave the room. He pushed the thought away and forced himself to relax, not wanting Bruce to sense his feelings.

This was something Dick had yet to get used to and he didn’t know if he ever would. They could now feel each other's emotions at an even further distance than before. Moreover, their emotions were now more distinct and lucid, almost as if they can read each other's minds. And the pheromones were exceedingly unequivocal to their previous scents. It acted as some sort of link between them, to where Dick knew exactly where Bruce was in the Manor, right now. This made Dick wonder how far away he could get before he wouldn’t be able to sense Bruce at all? 

Over time, the water began to cool, forcing Dick to slowly get out of the tub. His body still ached in certain places but not as bad as before. At least he could walk a bit better now and dry himself off without wincing. He wrapped a towel around his waist and before leaving the bathroom, Dick abruptly stopped, catching sight of himself in the large mirror above the sink.

Embarrassment coiled through him as he gazed at his reflection. His torso and neck were littered with red marks and bruises. He looked like he’d just been ravished and that caused him to flush even more when he came to the realization… 

_He’d just had sex and lost his virginity._

_He’d just bonded with Bruce Wayne._

Letting awareness settle in his mind, Dick ran a hand across several marks, his cheeks burning when he thought back to the days of his heat. His remembrances were blurry and sporadic in such a way, that everything blended together. The only thing that remained clear, was the point at which he was bitten. As a consequence, Dick grabbed a handheld mirror off the sink and brought it behind his neck, trying to get a closer look at his bonding bite. It wasn’t precisely in the middle of his neck and a little lower than he expected it to be. _Looks like there was no way his hair was going to cover it up now._ He gently touched the grooves, flinching a bit at the sharp pain, and quickly pulled his hand away. 

_This was real._

He’d really been marked and was now bonded with his alpha. Dick smiled and stared at the bite mark for a while longer, admiring the dual crescents before placing the handheld mirror back on the sink. He couldn’t stop smiling like a fool. He almost felt the need to jump up and down in excitement but stopped himself when he felt amusement pushing against his inner thoughts. Without a doubt, it was Bruce sensing his enthusiasm. 

He touched the bite mark again, already picturing how it would heal from what he’d seen on other omegas. It would be visible for all to see and less red than it was now, almost as if the grooves were blending into his skin. What he didn’t know was how long it would take to heal. It was something he should know because he was an omega himself. Then again, his life didn’t exactly proceed as planned so he would have to study more about his own dynamic. Then perhaps, he’d be the perfect omega for Bruce.

“Still in the bathroom, Dick?”

Dick looked up at the mirror, seeing Bruce’s reflection as he walked up behind him. 

“I haven’t been in here for _that_ long.”

Bruce chuckled, wrapping his arms around the omega’s waist, readily kissing the back of his neck. “I’ve been on call for almost an hour and you’re right where I left you.”

Dick winced a bit, but soon relaxed at the soft brush of the alpha’s lips against the bond bite. “It goes without saying, seeing as you clearly know why.” He retorted, hinting at their new emotional connection.

“I wouldn’t exactly mind if you said it out loud.”

“Of course you wouldn’t…” Dick smiled and turned around in the alpha’s arms. He was promptly distracted by a small white box in Bruce’s hand. “What’s that?”

Bruce held it up, watching as Dick’s eyes widened before he hastily grabbed the box. “Oh... I feel so stupid for not remembering.” The omega chided himself.

“Alfred said he’s not going to be running any more errands for us for a while because of this,” Bruce explained, though it sounded like he was complaining.

“I don’t blame him.” Dick held up the box of the morning after pills then tore open the flap. “We weren’t exactly being responsible adults.”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind if you were to--”

“No,” Dick cut the alpha off and gave him a serious look. “Don’t even say anything like that. We haven’t even talked about that yet. And I’m still not… sure if I even…” Dick tapered off then lightly pushed against Bruce’s chest and went to grab his cup of water from the rim of the tub. Turning around, the omega made his way out of the bathroom with Bruce in tow.

“We don’t have to talk about it right now if you don’t want to,” Bruce reassured him.

“I wasn’t planning on it anyway.” As he sat on the bed, Dick was finally able to pop the pill out of the aluminum casing then downed it with water. He looked at his alpha who evidently wanted to discuss things further but Dick wasn’t going to engage in that conversation. “I don’t plan on having children, Bruce…” _Ever,_ he almost said but knew that would lead to a whole nother issue. Nevertheless, Bruce still seemed a bit troubled by his announcement- as though he was wondering why Dick had made this decision for himself.

“I think w-” Before the alpha could say anything, his cellphone began to ring, and as reluctant as he was to take the call, he took it anyway and left the room.

Dick thought the answer was simple… he was afraid; afraid something might happen to his child, if or when this whole thing blew over. He’s not going to bring his child into this world when he, himself wasn’t free yet.

It was with that thought that Dick decided to make a mental list of things to get when they visited the doctor’s office. 

Regular suppressant pills and birth control.

.

.

.

Dick blinked at the television as he flipped through the various channels, stopping on a random one before setting the remote to the side. He laid on his stomach, one hand holding his chin and the other digging through a family size box of cheerios. He was careful not to waste any crumbs on the bed that Alfred just finished making up. That didn’t stop him from stuffing a handful into his mouth as he watched a documentary replace the commercials.

_A Mates Rejection_

The title read and Dick was about to change the channel again until his cell phone started ringing. He picked up without looking, knowing that it was one of the four contacts on his phone that were calling him. 

“Hello?” He answered and put it on speaker, reaching into the bag of cereal as he finally glanced at the caller ID.

_“Dickie.”_

Dick rolled his eyes. “I told you not to call me that, Jason.”

_“I kinda like it though.”_

“Well, I don’t.”

 _“We’ll get back to that later.”_ Jason swiftly dismissed Dick’s dispute and changed the subject. “ _We found out from Alfred that it was safe to head back home today.”_

“Safe? I guess that’s one way to say it.” Dick replied as he glanced back at the Tv, seeing a male omega with a collar on his neck, being interviewed.

 _“I thought it was a stupid way to say it.”_ Dick heard Tim say in the background, confirming his suspicions that he was also on speaker.

 _“By the way,”_ Jason started again. _“Alfred told me that you’ve been eating my shit.”_

“Your shit?” Dick questioned, not looking away from the screen when the same omega male, turned around to show a large gash going straight across his old bond bite. Dick cringed at the image and averted his eyes. 

_“Yeah, you’ve been eating my cereal.”_

“Oh… that.” Dick grabbed more cereal out of the box and popped a couple of them in his mouth. “That sucks.” He said while chewing and looking back at the Tv, seeing the same omega put the collar back around his neck, thankfully covering up the scar of being rejected.

Tim snorted in the background and Jason shushed him. _“I swear if you ate all the cheerios, we’re going to have a problem.”_

“You complaining about this reminds me that you’ve only just graduated high school last year.”

_“Are you trying to say I’m immature?”_

“...You said it, not me.”

_“When I get there, I swear--”_

“You’re not going to do anything to me, Jay,” Dick confirmed as he ate another cheerio.

_“What makes you so sure?”_

“You’re going to be on crutches right?”

_“Yeah? So what? I can still beat your ass.”_

_“Jay, give it up. You sound stupid.”_ Tim spoke up and seemed to have taken the phone away from the alpha because his voice sounded closer. _“Ignore him, Dick,”_ Tim said as soon as Bruce came back into their room.

“...I’ll try,” Dick responded simply, not sure how to assess Tim’s current attitude. 

_“Um… well, we’ll be home in about an hour,”_ Tim said while Bruce was crawling over Dick’s back and laying there.

“You’re heavy,” Dick whispered and tried to push him off.

_“Don’t forget to tell Bruce.”_

“I'm right here, Tim.”

_“Oh, Bruce, were you here the whole time? If so, you should have told Jason to stop making a fool of himself.”_

Bruce sighed, “Tim I just got here--”

 _“Shut the fuck up, Timmy!”_ There was a sudden thump then a shuffling sound and Tim’s sudden cry.

_“Ow! Jay let g--”_

Dick blinked down at the phone screen reading the words ‘ _call ended’_ and huffed a laugh. “Your children are such angels, Bruce. Now get off, big guy. I can't breathe."

"You seem to be breathing just fine," Bruce said while kissing his neck.

"Bruce, I'm serious." Dick laughed, trying to push the alpha off again but he wouldn't budge. "I give up." He sighed and decided to focus back on the television. Or at least he tried to. Bruce’s lips roaming over his neck was a stupefying distraction.

"What are you watching?" The alpha inquired after a while.

"Just some random show called _' A mates rejection."'_

"I've never seen it before."

"Me neither." The screen showed another omega who also turned around and showed a gash going through the back of their neck. Ugh, he hated seeing stuff like that. Just knowing that alphas had the gall to even reject their omegas was unbelievable.

"Change the channel if you don't like it." Bruce provided a simple answer to Dick’s affliction.

"Shush, I still want to listen." Bruce chuckled before standing up and going to the bathroom.

_"My alpha and I were mated for three years." The omega said softly. "But it only takes one day for things to change…" The omega paused and looked away from the camera. "...I blame myself every day. But it was inevitable… my alpha had already fallen in love with someone else."_

Dick’s heart ached for the omega. He couldn't imagine his alpha being in love with someone else and not wanting him anymore.

"Dick," Bruce leaned against the bathroom door with a skeptical look. "If it's making you feel this bad, I think you should turn it off."

Dick huffed and finally turned off the television then sat up on the bed, crossing his legs. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this… sharing emotions thing."

"If only there was a way to cut it off."

Dick laughed. "My thoughts exactly."

"Master Bruce," Alfred knocked on the slightly ajar door.

"Come in, Alfred."

Alfred opened the door and greeted Dick with a small nod. "You’ve left your cell phone in the dining room and it's been ringing non-stop ever since.

The alpha sighed, "Thank you, Alfred."

"Back to work already?" Dick asked when the butler closed the door and Bruce nodded.

"Unfortunately, yes. I’ll probably have to go in tomorrow.”

"Or… you can stay in bed with me?" Dick patted the space next to him with a hopeful grin. Contemplation from Bruce swept through Dick’s mind and he thought he had him. Unfortunately, the alpha’s response opposed his assumption. 

“As tempting as that sounds, you know I can’t do that.” 

Dick bit his lip and looked down at the comforter. “It will be even harder to go a couple of hours without you now… for you too…” His spirits fell into a somber conscience and he couldn’t help but blame himself for all of this. If they were public then everyone would understand why Bruce was on leave for so long.

The alpha made his way over to the foot of the bed and bent to one knee, gently grabbing Dick’s chin. “Don’t ever blame yourself for any of this, Dick.” 

The omega sighed as he looked at his mate. "Maybe you going back to work is a good thing, after all, then you won't be able to feel everything I do."

The alpha gave a soft laugh. “I see you’ve changed your mind very quic--"

“Master Bruce,” Alfred’s voice came through the door. “I must inform you for the second time that your cell phone is ringing once again. I don’t think I can afford a headache at this time, especially with the young masters coming home soon. Though, I’m sure if I had raised them singlehandedly, they wouldn’t be as difficult.”

Dick snickered loudly, slapping a hand over his mouth when Bruce gave him a look. 

“Alright, Alfred, I’m coming.” Bruce placed a chaste kiss on the omega's lips, drawing a genuine smile out of him before leaving the room.

Dick flopped back on the bed and looked at the ceiling with wandering thoughts. Things seemed like they were happening so fast and if Dick were being honest, he was feeling a bit... insecure. _Was he really good enough for Bruce?_ An ex-assassin who still felt the need to prove his virtue and benevolence to everyone in this house and let alone himself. It was apparent that there were still many secrets between them and Dick didn’t know what was worse-- Bruce not knowing his or him… not knowing Bruces.

Now that they were officially mated, Dick needed to feel secure and wanted to believe that nothing could go wrong. But in a situation like this, he wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. All he could do was hope that everything stayed merry until they came face to face with DS.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally have the next 8 chapters planned out, if only I could write fast enough 😩😩 but anyway, hope everyone liked this chapter.
> 
> Comments appreciated!


	18. Please Burn

**Seven Years Ago**

_“Fuck- let up! Let up already!” Grant slapped against Dick’s arm that was wrapped around his neck, pinning his back to the omega’s chest. “Fucking omega, I said let go!”_

_Dick let go and pushed the alpha off of him. “I won.... again.” He declared for the fifth time that night._

_“Fuck,” Grant spit blood on the ground, wiping at the fresh scratches on his face. “You’re insane. Did you have to fucking cut up my face?”_

_“Your right swing is slower than your left.” Dick bent down to pick up his weapons. “You leave yourself open too often.”_

_Grant stood up from the ground with a sneer. “God, give a man a compliment every once in a while, will you?”_

_“Why should I give you one when you’ve never given me one?”_

_“Fine, you want one that bad, Talon?”_

_“Not really.”_

_“Then why the fu-” Grant pinched the bridge of his nose. “Know what, I’ll just say it… I think you fight better with the dual blades.”_

_“No shit.” Dick took the compliment in slight, already aware of his own prowess._

_“Can’t even take a fucking compliment like a normal person. The hell is wrong with you?”_

_Everything, Dick wanted to say but instead, he evaded Grant's question. “The Alpha thinks I should stick with the single blade for now.”_

_“Of course he would, father got that katana specially made for you.” Grant made fun._

_“I know.”_

_“You see, this is why I don’t like talking to you-”_

_At the sudden sound of the door opening, they turned around, seeing Slade walk into the room with little Joey close behind._

_“Father, your back. Took you long enough.” Grant ruffled Joey's hair before standing in front of the other alpha. “Where’s Rose?”_

_Slade turned toward the open door, where the owners of the echoing footsteps soon made their appearance. Two beta assassins carried in between them, Rose, who was wrestling to remove herself from their hold. They dropped her on the ground and a muffled grunt came through the fabric stuffed in her mouth. Struggling with her arms tied behind her back, her platinum hair swung over her shoulders as she moved to sit up and look at her father._

_Out of everyone here, Rose was the last person Dick expected to try and leave DS. And Dick would never understand this, but for some reason, she came back. But Slade didn’t do so well with betrayal, so when she did come back, she was kept in the containment room for 3 days with no food or water. Now it would seem that Slade wanted to talk to her. Unfortunately... the Alpha liked to leave his_ **_mark_ ** _on those who were brave enough to return..._

_As Slade moved closer to his daughter and took the fabric out of her mouth, Dick turned around with his sights set on a chair he often sat in. He didn't turn around until the start of a piercing scream came to an end with a loud wail, pending at Rose’s inescapable fate. Dick finally turned around and sat down, watching blood stain the concrete from where Rose kneeled on the ground._

_Slade had ripped out her eye in duplication with his own, for her disloyalty was unforgivable and she was forced to repay it. Even if that meant making a donation to their “most honorable” cause._

_“You run because that of which you detest, cannot be changed.”_

_Dick leaned back against a window, expression unwavering as he watched Slade wipe the blood from his dagger and onto the shoulder of his daughter's clothes. Then he listened intently to the Alpha as he started the beginnings of another one of his extensive speeches._

_“It is a pity that I had to do this to you… my beloved Rose. Once so loyal and now so impassioned.”_

_Rose held her bleeding eye, crying loudly and her_ _scent was blaringly distinct, leading her grief to tear at Dick's chest._

_“You were led astray, you sought empathy and they accepted you. But they didn’t know the truth about you. And when they found out, you ran.” Slade pushed a strand of hair away from Rose’s forehead, his gentleness appearing elusive and chilling. “Tell me dear Rose, where was the first place you thought to go?”_

_Rose shivered but her line of sight didn’t waver as she stared up at her father. “... B-back to you, f-father.”_

_“Congratulations.” Slade discharged his good graces and yanked her head back, fingers stretching the ends of her hair. “You’ve finally realized where you belong.”_

_Tears spilled from her one eye as she expressed her commitment. “F-father, I won’t ever run away a-again. Never again...”_

_Dick’s heart tightened with sorrow at those words. He knew she couldn’t mean that. After all, who would want to be stuck here?_

_“Don’t cry, Rose.” Slade let go of her hair. “I can see where your loyalties now lie.” He placed his dagger on a vacant table and began to pace. “I know you were hurt by those who you thought you could trust but that’s where you were mistaken.”_

_Slade glanced around the room at all who were present. Only a few were able to witness such a personal moment between their family. Dick stood on the outside of that notion in terms of blood, but on occasion, he’d been granted access to view it. Usually, that meant Slade had a plan and wanted Grant, Joey, and him to learn something vital and meaningful._

_“You believed you could become like them… those people who live by their sentiments. But people like us do not need those kinds of emotions.” Slade spoke to Rose but everyone seemed to emulate his feelings- even Dick._

_“Emotions… as in, love, father?” Joey asked, his voice light as a feather and Dick still couldn’t believe the nine-year-old was so easily strung along by his father's words._

_“Yes Joe, that is correct. Love can only happen to those who are able to mate. And who stands on the outside of that?”_

_“They’re known as rare defects, father.”_

_“Smart boy.” His tone swelled with pride as it usually did when it came to Joey. “Yes, defects are what society calls them. They are a flaw in the system, an imperfection, a deviation from the expected outcome. They decided that defects were undesirable and pity them because of it.”_

_Dick turned to look out the window, watching Slade’s reflection in the glass as he slowly paced about the room. He was soon reminded that the truth in the Alpha’s words overshadowed his animosity for him. Slade was intelligent, always had been and Dick found himself gravitating towards his ideals…_

_“Rare defects are not bound by pheromones, or mating, or anything that requires emotions that our dynamics hold dear. Defects don’t need them and nor do you.”_

_Dick felt something touch his chin, forcing him to look upward at Slade’s one good eye.“Talon has perfected it. He’s divested himself of those emotions every time he kills.” The omega cringed, slapping away his hand and averted his eyes. The alpha chuckled while Dick held his breath until Slade moved away from him._

_“Are you saying we should b-become more like Talon?” Rose spoke up, her voice shaking, face dripping with blood._

_“Precisely.”_

_“And how exactly will we do that?” Grant asked._

_“We’ll make it so that your dynamic no longer exists. They’ll be no more use for suppressants or collars, or the need to mate. You’ll be nil to it all and you won’t need your emotions any longer.”_

_Dick turned around, finally surveying the Alpha with a look of disbelief. He couldn’t be serious. It was impossible… there was no way in hell that he could create something so… unfeasible._

_There was no way…_

~*~

“Selina Calabrese.” Dick read the name out loud as he scrolled through a web page filled with information about Rex Calabrese and his company. He copied her name and placed it into the search bar, watching as the screen filled with various pictures, webpages, and her title, ‘Surge Enterprises Exec’, above all of it. Dick let his eyes roam over the blurry photos before clicking on the first one. The image expanded and the blurriness faded, showing a woman with short black hair flipped over to one side with a small grin and all the diamond jewelry the world could offer. She was without a doubt a very beautiful woman and looked nothing like her father. Thank goodness for that.

Dick scrolled through a few more pictures. All of them were similar headshots and a couple of them were taken with her father but that was it. There weren’t many photos of her at all. It seemed like she didn’t make a ton of public appearances. Dick was curious as to how she was able to avoid the paparazzi because they certainly took a lot of pictures of Rex Calabrese. Maybe she purposely kept out of the spotlight? That must have been it because unlike her father, there was no information about her life outside of her job with Surge Enterprises. Nothing at all… how strange.

Dick clicked back on the first image and studied it once more, narrowing his eyes in recognition. He’s seen her before but where? Dick stood up from the couch and continued to stare at the photo as he silently made his way to Bruce’s office. He opened the door, instantly focusing on the outer rim of the desk, searching for that framed picture. It wasn’t there.

The omega sighed and pocketed his phone, making his way around the desk to get a closer look. And he wasn’t hallucinating, the picture really wasn't on the desk anymore. Where did it go? Dick ran a hand through his hair and tapped an anxious foot. He didn’t want to go snooping into Bruce's things but he only wanted to find that picture. He was positive it was Selina Calabrese but he wanted to make sure.

Giving in to his persistent curiosity, Dick sat down in the desk chair and began to open the desk drawers. The top two were filled with folder files and the omega found himself childishly running his fingers across the top, watching them flip open before he closed the drawer. The bottom two drawers had basically the same thing and Dick found that he was at a loss. Simply put, he wasn’t about to search around the big office for more. He’d been there and done that in the library and had stressed himself out so he decided to come to his own conclusion. That it was Selina who was in that picture with Bruce. It made sense that Bruce would know Rex’s daughter. Their families did have past dealings together and because of some “complicated business man stuff,” they don’t have them now. They must have gotten into a serious fight if they weren’t on speaking terms. 

Dick pondered the thought as he stood up from the chair, feeling his foot hit something under the desk. The omega faltered and pushed the chair back before bending forward and looking underneath the desk. There was a medium-sized box nestled at the far corner of the wooden back support. Dick wouldn’t admit it now, but he liked to pry and would forever call it curiosity if anyone asked. That’s why when he vacated the chair and crouched under the desk to reach for the box, he felt no sense of shame.

“Master Dick?”

Dick jerked back upon hearing his name and ended up hitting his head on the roof of the desk. “Ow! Shit.” He yelped and rubbed the top of his head as he pulled away from the enclosed space.

“Master Dick, whatever are you doing under there?”

Dick stood up and gave an awkward smile. “I… I was just um… looking around.”

“...Is that so?” Alfred fixedly observed him. "I see this… _habit_ of yours hasn't changed."

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a habit.” Dick swiftly moved away from the desk and toward the butler with a guilty look. This wasn't exactly the first time Alfred had caught him sneaking around. Hopefully, it was the last.

"Master Dick, this is your home now as much as it is Bruce’s. But I had hoped that you would at least have a little courtesy to certain privacies."

Dick’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “You’re right… I’m sorry.”

Alfred gave a curt nod and motioned for Dick to follow him out of the room. “Whatever it is you’re looking for, I’m sure Master Bruce would be willing to tell you about it himself if you ask.”

“Yeah right, I’ll believe that when I see it.” They made it to the kitchen where the butler went back to stirring something on the stove.

“You’ll see it soon, I hope. Otherwise...” His words died away, leaving Dick with a questioning stare.

“Otherwise what?”

“Otherwise he’ll regret it.” Alfred placed a top on the small pot and regarded the omega with a tiny smile. “Master Bruce always ends up regretting, in the end.”

Dick frowned in question. “Alfred, I don’t know what you’re getting at but what I was looking for in his office wasn’t anything serious.”

“I’m just talking about anything, truly. I didn’t mean anything specific.” Alfred made his way to the fridge and pulled out a bag of tomatoes.

“Actually, I think you can answer the question for me,” Dick said as he inched toward the bar stools, sitting down on the one closest to Alfred.

“I’m not sure if I can be of any help.”

“Just answer me this. Do you know what happened between Bruce and Rex Calabrese? Bruce only told me it had to do with complicated business man stuff.” Dick used two fingers to air quote Bruce’s words.

Alfred’s response wavered as he rinsed off a tomato in the sink. “For that question, I am not obliged to answer.”

“Alright, I should have expected that... well, then how about Selina Calabrese? Did Bruce know her?”

“Selina Calabrese, sir?” 

“That’s his daughter's name right? I saw it on a website.”

“Ah yes,” Alfred pulled out a knife from the drawer and began chopping. “They do know each other.”

“Really?” Dick sat up straighter. “Well, that brings me back to what I was looking for in Bruce’s office. I’m sure there was a picture on his desk with the two of them but it’s not there anymore.”

Alfred took a peek at the all too interested omega. So innocent, so clueless and so close to finding out the truth. But it wasn’t Alfred’s place to give it to him, so he would continue to tread that thin line of double-dealing. “I do happen to know what picture you are talking about.”

“Oh, so that was her…” Dick sighed as he thought back to what Bruce said to him about that picture. That they were putting on a show for her father and pretending to be married. That could probably be why he and Rex weren’t on good terms anymore. Talk about a joke going too far. 

“I think it best if you ask Master Bruce about the Calabrese's, yourself.”

“From the vague information he gave to me about Rex before, I’m sure he won’t tell me much. But I guess I’ll talk to him about it later…”

“Very good, Master Dick. I hope all goes well when you do, that way you won’t have to sneak around anymore.”

The omega laughed aloud. “There’s just something fun about doing that, you should try it sometime, Alfred.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me, I’ve done my fair share of sneaking around.” _And keeping secrets for much too long..._

~*~

“Hey, guys.” Dick ran his fingers across the shiny black surface of one of the many veneers dispersed throughout the colossal base. 

“Hey.” Jason threw a dismissive wave his way before going back to his cellphone. He had his legs kicked up on a table next to Tim’s computer and seemed to be seldom watching his brother doing something on the monitor. Dick quickly bypassed the training mats- where he originally planned on going- and cut across the room to see what the teenager was doing. 

As soon as he stood behind Jason’s chair, the alpha sniffed the air without even trying to hide it. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that new scent of yours.” 

“Eventually, you will.”

“You mean _hopefully_ , I will.” 

“Well, it’s here to stay no matter what you feel. I’m glad to see you’re feeling better though.” Dick lightly flicked the side of Jason’s leg, now free from it’s cast.

“Ouch!” He pulled his leg back, letting it drop to the floor and out of reach from Dick. “Don’t touch… it’s still tender.”

“My bad.” With an awkward chuckle, Dick looked away and over at the computer screen, squinting at the tiny sequence of numbers being added at every interval. Tim’s doing most likely, for every time he typed on the keyboard, another sequence was added. Dick soon glanced at Tim, seeing him expertly taking apart his old cellphone.

“Where did you get that?”

Tim didn’t look his way and continued disassembling the inside of the phone. “Bruce brought it with him when he brought you in. He told me to get rid of it but I decided it was best to keep it.”

Dick looked back at the computer, trying to comprehend the chain of numerals before giving up for the second time. He knew from what Bruce and Alfred said, that the kid was smart, but what the hell was this?

“What are you doing with it?” 

“I’m looking for the tra- oh, just found it.” Tim lifted a silver fragment that looked similar to all the other pieces laid out across the table. 

Jason looked up from his phone. “About time.”

Tim ignored him and began his explanation. “It's an f.o. tracker made to blend in with a cellphone’s Turner IC unit.” Tim typed in another series of numbers before speaking again. “And it’s only made in Italy. Obviously, it’s been dealt through the black market otherwise you’d never see these in Gotham.” Tim studied the fragment once more before setting it down and plopping back on the chair behind him.

“They know where I am?” Dick asked as he moved over to get a closer look at the tracker.

“No, they don’t... probably.”

“Probably?” Jason said as he suddenly appeared behind Dick, looking at the tracker over his shoulder.

“Bruce cut off the phone before he left the hotel, so the location should be stalled at that point.”

“They know I was at the hotel then.”

“Yes,” Tim said simply.

“So... what are those?” Dick asked, addressing the numbers that were back on the screen.

Tim finally regarded him with a set of harmless blue eyes. “I recorded every serial number off of each piece of your old cell phone. If I can get the numbers to line up correctly, I can determine where the next sequence occurs within the tracker's positions.”

“Meaning?” Jason queried.

“Basically, we’ll be able to see every person who has the same tracker within a 200-mile radius.” Tim turned back around and Dick raised a brow. “It will take a couple of minutes to line up, but once they do, we can see how many DS assassins are around. Then after some tweaking and maybe… two or three days without sleep, I can hack into all of their SMS’s and see who exactly has received a message concerning that 1 million dollar bounty.”

“Fuck, you’re smart as hell.” Jason clapped a hand on Tim’s shoulder, causing him to make an expression that Dick couldn't decipher. But his cheeks were clearly flushed and his stiffness undoubtedly mirrored that reaction.

“Thanks…” Tim responded softly then cleared his throat when Jason moved away.

Dick studied the interaction with little interest and put it at the back of his mind. He focused more on Tim’s sudden motivation to do something that benefitted him. It was out of place and way beyond the margins of their old truce. Why was Tim doing all of this now? And if he were being honest, this information could have helped them out way before now.

“So…” Dick uttered while crossing his arms. “...you’re helping me out now?”

“Um…” Tim hesitated but quickly recovered with a small smile. “No, I’m not. I’m simply helping Bruce out… and he just so happens to be helping you out.”

“Oh…” Dick glimpsed at Jason who shrugged in response. “Well, I’m sure that _Bruce_ would appreciate your help.”

Tim nodded, not once looking away from the monitor but Dick could still see a slight curl of his lips. "And maybe if by chance that Bruce could somehow be convinced to get me a car for my birthday this summer... then I'd be _extra willing_ to help him out."

Dick huffed a laugh and tilted his head. “That’s it, huh?”

“That sounds like it's not going to happen,” Jason commented as he sat down and placed his feet back on the table.

Jason might be right but Dick decided to keep playing along. "Well, Bruce was somehow convinced to give Jason a raise on his allowance so… I'll see what I can do." The omega made his intent clear and Tim’s smile widened before it quickly dissolved. It was bribery in a way, but Dick could deal with it, for now, that is.

"Is this how you two are going to talk from now on because it's fucking annoying."

“It’s finished,” Tim announced, once again ignoring Jason. 

Dick stood beside Tim and looked at the screen full of blinking green dots.

“The trackers are everywhere. Over here is Blüdhaven,” Tim pointed at the screen. “Then New York City and this is Gotham.”

“There’s a lot more in Gotham,” Jason said as he came closer to the screen. “How many is that anyway?”

Tim clicked somewhere on the screen, bringing up the statistics. “206 trackers.”

“I’ve been with you guys for four months now, they must’ve already searched Blüdhaven from head to toe. If they know I’ve been at the hotel here, then, of course, there would be more in Gotham.”

“What are we going to do?” Tim asked.

“I have a plan but, I don’t know if Bruce is going to like it.” 

“How much is he not going to like it?” Jason asked, giving Dick an anxious look.

“Mm… it’s about 6 out of 10 on the serious level, maybe 8, depending on his mood.” 

“Anything above 1 is already bad enough,” Jason added and it didn’t sound like he was teasing either.

“So, what is it? What’s the plan?” Tim urged Dick to tell them.

“I was thinking that Bruce and I could…” Dick took a deep breath and fiddled with the sleeve of his shirt. “We could... go public.”

~*~

The hunters hired by DS aren’t stupid. They knew they were disposable and wouldn’t dare attempt a double kill with Dick’s 1 million and Bruce’s 8 million-dollar bounty. Especially when Dick plans to threaten them by revealing the now completed drug, to the public. Once the hunters start to drop out and their numbers dwindle into nothing, then that’ll leave them with only DS’s top assassins and... Dick used to be one of them.

The prince of Gotham finding his soulmate will be a huge surprise to everyone. An ex-assassin now working with the Dark Knight will be an even bigger surprise for those who knew about their secret statuses. They won’t see it coming. DS doesn’t know that Grant told them about the drug. And best of all, Dick knew what it did. Unfortunately for him, he would have to let Tim, Jason, and Bruce know.

So he told them. After years of failing to grasp the idea even for himself, he told them. In great detail too. They were in shock and disbelief just as much as Dick was the first time he heard the idea. The act of taking away someone's dynamic seemed otherworldly and yet, Grant said they finished it. Slade had done it, he actually did it. 

Between telling the Wayne family about the drug and his impending terror, Dick finally told them Slade’s name. It was spoken with so much disdain that Dick would have rather drunken poison instead. Slade had such a degraded philosophy but he was smart, extremely smart, convincingly so and Dick would never doubt that. He’d give Slade his compliments, and having known him for fifteen years, no one could deny his achievements. But as much as he was smart, he was also vile and deadly. 

He carried with him a foul scent that burned Dick’s nostrils and a nauseating voice that could easily corrupt the innocent. Those two sensations were enough to dent the interior of Dick’s mind and force him to bow down at his every waking moment. Through his daily training and manipulation, Dick had to find some sort of outlet for his suffering or it would overtake him. So he disposed of the one thing that was restricting him and became detached, essentially removing his semblance of emotion.

Dick didn’t tell the Wayne family that the drug was made based off of him. He never would. He didn’t want to have to explain how that came to be or how he did it; he didn’t want to show them; he didn’t want to relive those moments. He hated everything about what Slade had made him do and he wanted to be free…

Dick then thought of his own philosophy, influenced by Bruce’s ideals. _To only kill when needed_. Because some people won’t ever stop their misdeeds, some people won’t ever feel guilty or change. What’s the point of them continuing on if it’s only to make others suffer? The world would be a much better place without them. If only from preventing them from doing anything wrong again, in the most humane way possible... Some people need to die. Evil people need to die. 

_Slade was one of them._

And maybe, if in the end, Dick could get Slade to somehow burn alive in fire, he would openly and gladly, smile while watching.


	19. A Party of Doubt

“Are you sure that I look okay?”

Bruce gave Dick his full attention, sighing at his persistent uncertainty. “I’ve already told you that you look beautiful.” 

“You always say that.” Dick couldn’t stop the heat from rising to his cheeks and was glad when Bruce turned around to look into the dresser mirror. “I still can’t believe you hired a personal stylist for me when we could have gone shopping ourselves.”

“You deserve better than that. And of course, you need to look your very best because we are going to a Gala.”

Dick silently agreed before checking himself in the full-length mirror and restudied the workings of his attire. He wore a skin-tight black long sleeve shirt that was sheer around the cuffs. The dark color extended to his high waisted low cut black trousers. And to top it all off, he donned a long coat jacket that hung off his shoulders and was painted in a bright royal blue. He didn’t look half bad but not even his nice clothing could put an end to the nervousness pushing at his chest. Mainly because it’s only been a couple of days since he came up with a plan and Bruce’s first thought was to take him to a Gala of all places.

“I’m still not sure if I want to go.” He muttered as he padded over to where his alpha stood. “I was hoping you would kind of just make a post online or something.”

“I did make an announcement.” Bruce looked at him through the mirror as he adjusted his bow tie. “But I also wanted to show you off.”

“Show me off? What am I? One of your expensive watches?”

“Just about as much as this watch.” He tapped the one that was on his wrist. “But maybe a bit... cheaper.” Bruce teased, causing Dick to push at his arm with a laugh.

“Now I have a price? You definitely know how to make a guy feel special.” Dick teased as he peeked at himself in the dresser mirror then sighed. "I’m so nervous.”

Bruce finished fixing his bowtie and turned around, pulling the omega close by the hips. “Don’t be nervous. I’ll be by your side the entire night. Though, I’d rather just go back to bed.”

Dick looped his arms around the alpha’s neck. “Of course you would. And I thought this morning would be enough for you.” 

“I can never get enough of you.”

Dick was caught off guard when the alpha easily lifted him off the ground. “Bruce! Wait-!” He tightened his arms and legs around the alpha in an attempt to balance himself before he was dropped onto the bed. He laughs into the kiss Bruce pressed against his lips and they were soon locking tongues, moaning softly. 

“Mhn… Bruce… we can’t-” Dick said into his mouth, voice wavering as he was smoothly pulled into another kiss. A palm drifted along the curve of his back, canting him upward into the alpha’s warm chest. The omega melted into his touch, hands twisting on the back of Bruce’s collar, enough to crease the material. They needed to stop or they would be late. But the kiss was addicting, hot, and wet, capturing all his attention. It wasn’t as intense as it was this morning but it was just as hard to pull away. And it never did take long for Dick to get turned on but now was not the time. Just before Dick could push the alpha away, a knock sounded at the door.

Bruce greeted the interruption with a sigh. “Already?”

“I told you we couldn’t...” Dick said once Bruce pulled back. He was honestly feeling a bit disappointed about having to stop but he didn’t waste any more time brooding and stood up from the bed. Following Bruce’s example, he neatened out the wrinkles in his clothes, particularly the jacket that had fallen off his shoulders and onto the bed. A moment later, there was another knock then the doorknob turned.

“Guys, Alfred's waiting for you in the car.” Tim pushed open the door, his gaze sweeping across Dick’s outfit. “Mm, you actually look like a model now.”

Dick narrowed his eyes. “Is that your way of complimenting me?” 

“It’s… it’s whatever you think it is.” Tim averted his eyes, now looking at Bruce. “Anyway, you guys should hurry. You know how Alfred hates waiting.”

“We’ll be down in a second,” Bruce said and Tim gave a thumbs up before he left the room.

“Is it safe to say that Tim _likes_ me now? Just in a sort of half-assed way?” Dick questioned as he watched Bruce grab his cell phone off the nightstand.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” The alpha held a neutral expression, bordering the line of amusement. 

“Well, from what I saw the other day, I honestly think he deserves a gift for helping me.” The omega suggested as he followed Bruce out of the door.

The alpha furrowed his brows, seeming to be both surprised and curious at the same time. “You want to give him a gift?”

“I mean sure. His graduation is coming up and also his birthday is this summer right?”

“Yes, I was thinking of getting him a nice watch. He always compliments them when he sees me wearing them.” 

“He’s sixteen Bruce, I think he wants something a little bit different,” Dick said as they descended the stairwell.

“What do you think I should get him then?” 

“I was thinking, a new laptop, a speaker, maybe a _car_ …?”

Bruce abruptly stopped on the last step and Dick almost ran into his back. “Tim put you up to this, didn’t he?”

Dick sighed and held back a laugh as he stepped past the alpha and continued towards the front door. “Bruce, why would he do that? We don’t even get along that well and we barely talk as it is. I just thought that those were some of the things a teenager would want. It's definitely something I would want.” Once they reached the door, he faced the alpha, eyes glinting in the low light. “You would get it for me if I asked wouldn’t you?”

Bruce squinted lightly, lips tight in a straight line. “... I’ll consider it.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet, big guy. I appreciate your consideration.” Dick placed a quick kiss on his lips before opening the front door. “I’m sure Tim will appreciate it too.” He smiled innocently before turning around and walking out the door.

“Fucking whipped.” 

Bruce looked behind him, seeing his eldest son crossing his arms and shaking his head in faux disappointment. “Jason, when did you get here?”

“I’ve been here the whole time, B. But I think you were a little too _distracted_ to notice.” Jason lifted a brow, looking past him and out the door. 

“Go and study for your exams, Jason.”

“Will do B. But make sure and bring back a souvenir. You know, those little pastries I like.”

“Goodbye, Jason.” Bruce walked out the door and Jason yelled after him.

“Hey, I’m serious. I’m sure you would get it if Dick asked.”

Bruce threw a wave over his shoulder, full-on ignoring him. After a while, Jason waved when the car drove off and closed the door behind him, wondering what the fuck did Dick do to get Bruce to raise his allowance? Well, whatever it was, it must have not been much because at this point, Dick could smile and Bruce would do anything he wanted. That lucky bastard.

~*~

Dick understood that publicity came with a lot of things. Pictures, being bombarded with questions and having to live up to the expectations of total strangers. Bruce assured him it wouldn’t be that serious but Dick had seen the media. He knew what it was like.

The closer they got to the venue the more anxious Dick felt. Not even Bruce rubbing circles in his back, sending soothing sensations could help with that. A familiar feeling overcame him, calling him a useless and worthless omega, an ex-assassin who didn’t deserve happiness and Bruce deserved someone else and he was-

“Dick,” Bruce said his name, forcing the omega to look at him. “Calm down, my love.”

“But Bruce I’m-”

“There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect. You're beautiful. You can do this.”

_Perfect._

Even though it was far from true, Dick loved hearing those words. To him, it meant that Bruce unconditionally accepted who he was. Along with the bad and the good, he took those differences in stride. In the course of his nervous spill, Dick could feel that his alpha was telling the truth. Through their constant emotional connection, did the omega eventually start taking deep breaths. He did so until the car stopped in front of the venue.

But he was still nervous.

He was nervous when they stepped out under the moonlight with lights flashing from cameras in every possible direction. Dick painted on a smile, the curl of his lips were tense as his heart throbbed against his chest. As Dick was led down the long walkway, he looped his arm through Bruce’s, trying to stay as close as he could to the calming pheromones. From time to time they would stop and take a couple of pictures before steadily moving along.

“I wish that was the hard part,” Dick muttered as they closed in on the grand entrance.

“You’ll be fine, trust me.” 

“I hope you're right about that.” Bruce wrapped an arm around his waist, squeezing his side in encouragement as they breached the colossal doorway. A few people were staring his way when they entered but Dick was too distracted by the dramatic scenery to care.

A colossal chandelier was the first thing that caught Dick’s eye when they breached the Doric column entrance. Then massive party balloons, black in color, the exact opposite of the clear chairs that surrounded the large round tables. Centerpieces ornamented with tall shiny vases, sprouting blue roses from the middle, dangling vines barely scraping the surface of the tabletops. Where sat, glasses of champagne with tiny bubbles threatening to spill over the golden rims. Flickering candles stood in between each vase, pouring warm light over the gray-tinted linens which toppled over the edge of the tables and nearly touched the ground.

It was all so amazing and Dick never wanted to look away. Nevertheless, he followed at Bruce’s pace, stopping here and there to greet others, who would then turn to him with bright smiles and overly happy introductions. Some greetings were as fake as a three dollar bill and they were primarily given by omegas. They’d leer at Dick with tight-lipped smiles before glancing at Bruce and greeting him with dramatic giggling and elevated voices. It was enough to make Dick’s ears bleed and it made his omega feel a bit peeved. It was impossible to ignore the desires of another omega, even if they had someone else looped around their arms. 

His instincts told him to protect what was his. Every once in a while, during their little meet and greets, Dick couldn’t help it if his pheromones happened to diffuse in small waves, shoving his scent provokingly at a few bystanders. If Bruce sensed him (which was every time it happened) the alpha would nicely and _oh so_ kindly, excuse himself, giving them some space.

By the time they made it to the table with their reserved seats, Dick’s nervousness had worn out completely as well as his energy. He gladly took a glass of champagne from a waiter passing by, drinking it in slow sips as Bruce pulled out a chair for him.

“Bruce!” 

Dick froze, moving to stand up straight as he watched a man rush over to their table.

“Harvey,” Bruce said when he was close enough. “I didn’t think you would make it.”

“Of course I would be here.” Harvey clapped Bruce on the back with a smile. “It took me a while to find the invite in my email but when I did, I quickly got dressed. I only came here to do one thing anyway.” His eyes quickly found Dick. “And that was to meet your lovely mate.”

“Dick, this is Harvey Dent. He’s one of my closest friends.”

“I’m his best friend.” Harvey stuck out his hand, wafting the scent of an alpha. “One of his only real friends.”

“I think he gets it,” Bruce muttered while Dick shook Harvey’s hand.

“I’m Richard Grayson, nice to meet you.”

“Nice meeting you and I can see why Bruce didn’t tell me about you because...” Harvey gave Dick and evident once over. “Wow.”

“Harvey.” Bruce scolded his friend.

“Sorry, Bruce it’s just that you _really_ do have a type.”

“A type?” Dick asked while sitting down in his chair. “What type?”

“Dark-haired beauties.” Harvey sat down beside Bruce, scratching his chin as he checked Dick out once more. “I mean it’s not like you had a choice this time but I think fate knows your type too well, my friend.”

“Harvey,” Bruce warned for a second time. “Enough.”

“Sorry, sorry, I’ll stop now.” Harvey finally looked away from Dick and to Bruce. “By the way, how are my nephews doing?”

“They’re doing fine. Tim graduates in two weeks.”

“Two weeks!?” He exclaimed and slumped back against the seat, rubbing his chin with a small frown. “Mm, I should get him something. What do you think I should get hi…”

Dick drowned out their conversation and let his eyes sweep across the gigantic venue once more. He was still drawn to all the stunning decorations and wondered if this was something he would have to get used to from now on. He didn’t know if that was possible but he would try. Besides, this appearance was only for the plan, it’s not like he was required to attend these things. With that concluded, Dick took another sip of his champagne, eyes traveling across the room, taking in the ambiance with a little more confidence than before. 

He watched Alpha, Beta, and Omega Businesswomen and actresses alike, wearing their best formal evening gowns or cocktail dresses with their gaudy jewels and long gloves. Their outfits would match in color with their dates who were mostly Alpha men and they sported black tuxedo jackets, some blue, some white with matching trousers. Along with button-down shirts, bowties, black cummerbunds, and patent shoes. 

Spotting Omega men were easier, for their clothes were tighter, their shirts were either silk or satin and they showed a little more skin. Dick was once again reminded that the party had a dress code of sorts. If he remembered correctly, the theme was called Midnight Hue’s so everyone wore blues, grays, and tints of black. Well, all except one, who was wearing an all-white suit.

Rex Calabrese…

Dick instantly recognized him from across the room as he trudged through the crowd with a flashy woman at his side. His line of sight was set on their table which had two vacant seats left. Finally, when he made it, he stood there, towering over them with his chest puffed out, showing off his strong alpha scent and it made Dick want to cover his nose.

Rex lowered his eyes to the name card on the table and he picked it up. “I see they're still giving us the same table.” He murmured with a deep bitter tone.

“Mr. Calabrese.” Harvey stood up and they shook hands. “I’m glad to see you’re still alive.”

“Yes, alive and well.” His eyes flickered to Bruce then back at Harvey. “No date tonight, Harvey? How rare."

“No, not tonight. I decided to come last minute so I didn’t have time to make any calls.” Harvey answered as he sat back down and Rex followed in suit- sitting next to Harvey while his date sat next to Dick.

“How unfortunate,” Rex said with a flat tone, running a hand through his slicked-back gray hair.

“It’s _very_ unfortunate.” Harvey agreed. “Especially after seeing Bruce’s mate, he’s so beautiful that I really wished I had brought my own.”

Rex’s eyes landed on Dick, candidly studying him, openly dragging his eyes down his form. It wasn’t like Bruce’s gentle stare or Harvey’s playful once over, it was... scornful as if he were looking for any flaw that Dick might have. The omega subconsciously placed a hand over his wrist where the DS tattoo was permanently printed on his skin. Even though it was covered up by his long sleeves, with Rex staring at him, he felt like he was being exposed somehow.

“Mr. Calabrese, this is my mate, Richard Grayson,” Bruce said with a tolerating smile as he grabbed Dick’s hand under the table in comfort.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Calabrese.” Dick greeted with a small smile.

“Richard Grayson... an omega. I surely hope my suppressors work well enough for you.” He spoke arrogantly.

Dick swallowed, feeling a sudden pressure building in his chest but he forced himself to speak. “I’m sorry but I can’t give you any feedback on that."

"You can't?"

"I no longer use the Surge suppressor.”

Rex gave him a stony stare. “Is that so? Why is that?”

Dick had not expected to be put on the spot like this. Why was this man asking about his personal matters around people he didn’t know? 

“Mr. Calabrese, I’d rather you’d not talk about my mate’s personal choices in public,” Bruce spoke up on his behalf.

Rex stared unblinkingly, expression unsympathetic and despite his obvious indifference, he said, “Forgive me, I was not aware that I was being rude. Particularly to one as beautiful as your omega… Sadly, he’s not as beautiful as my Selina.”

“I would watch how you speak to _my mate._ ” Bruce lowered his voice, darkly, with a growl seeping through the edges of his articulation. 

“There was no insult in my word’s Wayne Jr.” He spat out his last name. “I simply stated an opinion. Aren’t we all allowed to make our own opinions?”

The tension at the table was immense and the pheromones were raging, causing some people to look their way. Dick squeezed his alpha’s hand, sending him soothing emotions but it didn’t seem to help. Bruce’s and Rex’s “complicated businessman issue” seemed to be _way_ deeper than Dick first thought. Now he regretted even asking Bruce to talk to him in the first place. But it wasn’t as if Bruce told him it was _this_ bad. He didn’t tell him anything really...

“Come on guys, we’re all adults here.” Harvey piped in with a strained smile. “This is a party and a charity event, so let's all just calm down.”

“You’re right,” Rex’s date--who Dick forgot was there--spoke up with a sunny smile. She was a beta, a very young beta compared to Rex who was in his sixties. “We should all just act cordial with one another.” She looked at Rex who just turned around in his seat and no longer looked at them.

Dick took this opportunity to peer over at his alpha and rub Bruce’s arm. “ _You okay_?” He whispered. " _Should we leave_?”

“ _No, we’re staying,_ ” Bruce said assuredly.

“Ah, yes,” Harvey looked happy that someone was on his side. “Rex you haven’t introduced us to your date yet.”

“Nonsense, he doesn’t need to introduce me.” She playfully patted Rex’s arm who still didn’t turn around. “My name’s, Vicky.”

“Well, I’m glad to see that Mr. Calabrese has brought such a kindhearted woman to our table,” Harvey said before Bruce and Dick acknowledged her with a self-introduction.

“I was so surprised when I heard Bruce Wayne found his soulmate,” Vicky commented.

Harvey nodded. “It was a surprise to all of us.”

“Who knew that our playboy would eventually settle down?” Vicky sighed dramatically and Dick almost rolled his eyes. “I was _always_ hoping I would have a go at it before this ever happened but now it’s too late,” She said with all smiles and without a care in the world. 

Bruce cleared his throat and Dick felt his eye twitch. More than that, Rex didn’t make a comment on what she said.

“I’ve been meaning to ask but how old are you?” She regarded Dick, blatantly asking him a question as if she’d forgotten her previous statement.

“Twenty-five.”

“Ten years younger? You’re _so_ young. You're almost a baby.” She taunted lightly.

“He’s not _that_ young.” Harvey defended him. “If he were eighteen, then that would give us something to talk about.”

“Now that’s _really_ young.” She giggled.

“How old are you?” Dick swiftly asked.

“Me? I’m twenty-eight.”

“Really? Well, if my partner was somewhere in his sixties, and I was in my twenties then that would _definitely_ give us something to talk about.” Dick retorted with a hint of a smirk, watching her smile wilt, and finally, Rex turned around.

There was a beat of silence and all eyes were on him, their expressions varying from startled to unhappy, to Bruce’s small smile and Harvey’s sudden laughter.

“Now that was something that Selina would have never said,” Harvey exclaimed, causing Rex to glare at him. Before the furious alpha could say anything, a person on the stage began speaking through a microphone, silencing everyone in the room. 

However, Dick couldn’t help but wonder as to why they all kept bringing up Selina and why they seemed to be comparing him to her?

.

.

.

Dick wouldn’t say he didn’t enjoy the Gala completely, it had its moments, mostly when the charity event was over and Rex and Vicky went about their ways. Dick stayed with Bruce most of the time, meeting a few celebrities here and there, talking and laughing until his mouth started to hurt and his bladder was screaming. For the first time that night, he left his alpha’s side and went to the restroom. He finished quickly and set his sights on looking for Bruce in the huge venue. The omega was just barely able to sense the alpha’s emotions from afar and started towards that way. However, during his trek, he accidentally bumped into someone, dropping his cellphone in the process.

"I’m sorry about that,” Dick apologized as he peered down at a heap of bright orange hair. Then the man stood up straight, handing Dick his phone back.

“Dude, hasn’t anyone ever told you to not text while walking?”

“Um…” Dick spluttered, not exactly sure how to assess the beta in front of him. “No, I’m sorry.” 

“No need to apologize,” The man’s lips pulled into a smile, his whole aura now filled with heavy amusement. “I’m just joking around with you- Oh, you’re… Bruce Wayne’s mate, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I’m Wally.” He smiled brightly. “Actually my uncle’s sorta kinda friends with Bruce. His name’s Barry Allen. You should have met him at some point.”

“Yeah, I think I met him a couple of hours ago.” 

“Fuck it’s been that long already?” Wally held up his wrist and checked his watch, squinting at the numbers before sighing heavily. “Bummer, I can never read these things. What’s your phone say?”

Dick cracked a smile and looked down at his phone. “It’s 10:56.”

“Dang, so it _has_ been that long.”

“Looks like someone needs to learn how to read a real watch.” Dick mused.

“Yeah, um…” He shook his head and pressed his lips together. “That's not gonna happen.”

Dick couldn’t help but laugh, bringing a hand to his mouth as he did, so he wouldn't be outright teasing him. But Wally didn’t seem to mind, he just shrugged and covered his watch with the cuff of his shirt. 

“Why not?” Dick questioned.

“It’s too much trouble. Plus, I never paid attention in elementary school when they were teaching that stuff.”

Dick quickly learned that Wally was one of those people that was easy to talk to and get along with. They made casual conversation for a couple of minutes that was woefully cut short when someone bumped into Dick.

“Omega, you're standing in the middle of the walkway.” A familiar voice pierced his ears and he quickly moved to the side, letting Rex pass him with a hefty trudge. 

“The hell is wrong with that guy?” Wally scoffed, still looking at the man walking away. “I swear he has a problem with everyone.”

“Really?” Dick thought it was only Bruce who he had a problem with.

“Yeah…” Wally crossed his arms and faced Dick. “That reminds me, I saw you guys sitting at the same table as him. How’d that go?”

“If I’m being honest, not good. He seems like an asshole to me.” 

“A complete asshole.” Wally easily agreed. “Even before his daughter died it was as if, I don’t know, he was messed up in the head or something.”

“He’s got his head stuck up his ass, that’s for sure.” Dick accidentally let the words slip past his lips but Wally laughed.

“Trust me, it's stuck all the way up there. I think he likes the smell too.”

Dick snorted and looked past Wally, watching Rex disappear into the crowd. 

“I’m still wondering why they invited him?” Wally frowned in question before pulling out his cellphone.

Dick shrugged. “I wouldn't know anything about that.” 

“It’s probably because he donates a lot of money but still.” He took a brief pause and began typing on his cellphone. “I mean, he wore a white suit, for gods sake. He looks like a clown- shit, my uncle just texted me saying we gotta go. Just when I was having fun too.” Wally looked up from his phone. “Hey, give me your number.”

“My number?”

“Yeah dude, we’re like the youngest people in here right now and we’re bound to run into each other again with, you know, with you being Bruce’s mate and all.”

Dick didn’t know if this was a good idea or not. He was only here to expose his alliance with Bruce to DS. He wasn’t here to make friends. He liked Wally but this was… 

“Come on,” Wally smiled brightly. “I know some cool places where we can hang.” 

Dick hesitated. “...Okay, sure.”

“Cool,” Wally said and listened to Dick as he relayed his number then started typing his name. “Richard Gra-”

“Actually, I go by Dick.” 

“Alright, cool… Dick Grayson.” Wally sounded out his name as he typed in the contact and they finished exchanging numbers. 

“See ya, Dick.” Wally gave him a two-finger salute before walking away. 

The omega looked down at his phone and stared at Wally’s name. He was still feeling a bit unsure about his decision. Talking to someone else outside of the Wayne family didn’t bode well with him. Even though it would be sort of a breather being able to talk to someone his own age... almost like a friend… he hasn’t had one of those in so long… Maybe he could give it a try-

“Wow, I must say, I never expected you to look this good.”

Dick looked up from his phone, coming face to face with a pretty omegan woman, wearing a shimmering black gown. She stopped in front of him, twirling a piece of her short blond hair with a tiny smile.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Dick inquired politely.

“My name’s Holly Robinson. And there’s no need to tell me who you are because you’ve been the talk of the town since yesterday.” She giggled softly. “Not many people have the chance to meet their soulmates so everyone’s a bit interested in you.” 

Dick bashfully chuckled under his breath.“I was hoping that wasn’t the case, I’m not used to this sort of scenery.”

“Don’t be shy. You're dressed for the part so I’m sure old Brucie hooked you up.” 

_That nickname…_ “Are you a friend of Bruce’s?”

Holly’s smile faltered. “...More or less.” She slowly turned to the side and bared her neck, displaying a small tattoo shaped like a bat.

Dick's eyes went wide. “I’ve... never met one of the members before.”

She looked back at him, the nuances in her tone changing slightly. Almost as though she were displeased. “You still haven’t, I’ve been meaning to get this tattoo removed for years now."

“Oh…” The omega shifted on his feet, clutching at his cellphone with confusion. “I didn’t mean to offend you or-”

“No, you didn’t offend me at all.” She interrupted and Dick recognized the insincerity in her voice. “I’m certain you know why the members are so reluctant to come back after five years.”

Dick frowned at the all too familiar words. From Dr. Dundee to Alfred, they all mentioned Bruce going into retirement and when Dick asked about it, he never got an answer.

“He’s told you, hasn’t he?” Holly deadpanned at him. “I’m sure your mate tells you everything so you must know.”

“That he went into retirement, yes.” Dick felt that same pressure beating at his chest after being placed into another awkward situation. One where he was walking on a thin line of knowing everything and knowing nothing at all.

“My goodness,” She placed a hand over her chest and tilted her head. “That’s all he told you?”

“Well, that’s...” Dick trailed off, biting his lip as a feeling of doubt resurfaced in his mind.

“So, you don’t know anything… I guess you’re just a replacement after all.”

“Excuse me?” Dick frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“That you’re a replacement... for Selina.”

“What?” Dick almost laughed out loud but Holly’s serious gaze kept him grounded. “You’re talking about Selina Calabrese?”

“Calabrese? Well, that’s what she went by in the media but her legal last name, that’s printed right on her birth certificate is, Selina Kyle. You know, Bruce’s fiancé?” She pushed her point and beamed happily. 

Dick’s heart stopped and he stared blankly at the omega in front of him as the word ‘fiancé’ wedged itself through his skull.

“From your reaction, I can tell that you haven’t heard a thing… how sad.”

“Bruce didn’t…” Dick could barely even get the words out and he had difficulty swallowing. “He didn’t have a fiancé.” 

“My goodness, are you sure you're his mate?” Holly laughed, openly flouting him. “Listen, Richard, they never made it public mostly because Selina liked to stay out of the spotlight. But she was my best friend and she convinced me to join the clan which is exactly why I know about her secret proposal from the prince. It made sense.” She shrugged. “They were childhood friends after all but... I guess you weren’t made aware of that either.” Holly paused, taking a brief moment to look at his reaction.

Dick failed to maintain eye contact with her, for he still couldn't rationalize the words coming out of her mouth. _He didn’t want to…_ He was actively trying to push away his doubt but it wouldn’t let up. _Why... why is this happening now… when he’s already bonded to Bruce._ _Why?_

“I must say that I truly didn’t have any intention of talking to you about this. I just wanted to see who Bruce thought could replace the love of his life...”

_Replacement… no, he wasn’t…_

“...But who knew that I would find out that his _own mate_ doesn’t know anything about his past… Or maybe, you just weren’t that important enough to know…”

Hearing that shouldn’t hurt as much as it did but then again, he was the one who allowed himself to believe that Bruce was telling the truth. He attempted to push away all of his doubts and uncertainties because he wanted to escape from the pain that DS caused him. It was unfair; so fucking unfair that no matter how hard he tried to be the man his heart wanted him to be, his failures continued mocking him. And now look at what he’d done... he bonded himself to Bruce Wayne for life... without even truly knowing him… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now he knows 😔😔


	20. Unfortunate Disclosure

**_Letter #Unknown_ **

**_Dear Bruce,_ **

**_My father is going to kill me; in fact, he’s going to kill you before he gets to me. He saw the tattoo on my neck right before I left for this business trip. I swear on my life, he almost had a heart attack when I admitted to joining the clan. Forgive me Brucie, but if this letter doesn’t make it to you in time to warn you… I would just like to say that your funeral will be the most expensive funeral there is and I’ll make sure to bury your money with you. Of course, after taking a bit for myself._ **

**_But let me be frank, he’s not happy AT ALL. And I know you were reluctant as well, I get it, I’ve been put into danger from time to time but hear me out. We've had the same training since we were fourteen and I’ve been doing well so far. Can you truly say that I'm not as prepared as you are? Well, it doesn't matter what you and my dad think, I'm going to do what I want regardless. You know me well enough to understand that. I guess we're both stubborn in that way._ **

**_Anyhow, when I get back to Gotham, I'm hoping I'll be able to move in right away without any trouble. I should’ve moved in years ago but I wanted you to commit to me. I’m glad you finally have… in a way you have... If I’m being honest, I think you only did it because I pressured you. And you’re still broken about not being able to find your soulmate that night. You’ve kept quiet about it, but I know how you truly feel. You’re waiting for him to suddenly pop up out of nowhere so you can let me down easy. You’re going to break my heart if you do. You’re my best friend and I love you; I’ve loved you my whole life. But it’s fate, so you can’t control it and unfortunately, if you were to stay with me, you’ll break his heart as well._ **

**_That’s why I’ll make it easy for you. I know that I used to reject the idea of you finding your soulmate again but I’ve matured a bit since then. I’ve come to realize that he might be able to do the things for you that I can’t- given you two were made for one another… So, if you do meet him, I promise on everything that I’ll let you go… and you should let me go too because if you don’t… it’ll hurt him._ **

**_Sincerely,_ **

**_S.K._ **

Selina Kyle

Bruce’s fiancé 

“It was nice meeting you,” Holly said, her smile permanently social; permanently derisive, lingering along with her steps as she crept backward. Covertly, in her departure, she ceaselessly peeked around the room. It was obvious that she was watching out for something. Bruce perhaps?

Dick closed his eyes at the thought of his alpha and at some point, he started having trouble breathing. He hadn't felt this sensation in a while and he sure as hell wasn't ready for it to happen in a place like this. _It was too late though._ Before the omega could take one step, his chest tightened, his heart beat faster and his throat burned. _Bruce lied to him. He was a replacement._

Together with his constant misgivings, Dick attempted to walk as straight and as normal as he could. Hugging his jacket close, he kept an eye on the front entrance, aware that his distressed pheromones were drawing attention. People looked his way, still, he paced forward, progressively dragging his feet along. Somewhere during his sluggish travel--he tripped--falling knees first onto the floor.

Soft gasps went through the small crowd of people standing near him. A few of them asked if he was okay and tried to help him up but Dick kindly rejected their offers as he attempted to control his breathing. _This was so embarrassing. Being seen this way in public was the worst thing that could happen right now._ In fact, it wouldn’t be happening if Holly hadn’t spoken to him tonight. Sadly, if she didn’t, Dick would have probably never discovered the truth about Bruce...

_Pain. The pain in his heart was immense and overwhelming. Being lied to and compared to her-_

Dick clenched the fabric of his chest and listened to a rush of oncoming footsteps. “Richard?” Harvey’s warm hand touched his back as he bent down beside him. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Dick huffed raggedly, sounding incredibly fickle.

“Someone find Bruce! Quickly.” He said before surrounding the omega with calming pheromones, instantly alleviating some of the omega’s distress. “It’ll be alright, Bruce will be here soon.”

That’s the thing though, Dick didn’t want to be anywhere near Bruce right now. His omega, on the other hand, was blindsided by natural instinct and needed him to take away his pain. _He needed his alpha; he needed Bruce._ Murmurs and whispers came from all around and Dick kept his head down, staring at the white marble flooring. 

“Dick!” Bruce’s voice came from behind, causing Dick to whine softly in need for his alpha’s touch. In contrast, his thoughts screamed with bitterness, toeing the line of heartbreak. _He didn’t need his alpha; he didn’t need Bruce._

Harvey moved away allowing Bruce to replace his presence. “Thanks, Harv.”

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” The alpha asked, tone laced with real concern.

“No it’s fine, I’ll take it from here.” 

Dick was once again surrounded by pheromones, a scent he’d fallen in love with. Hence his willingness to be touched by the same alpha who caused him so much agony. He felt himself being lifted off the ground, legs dangling over the alpha’s muscular arm and he instinctively wrapped his arms around Bruce’s neck. Worried scents and mutters of concern went throughout the crowd, leading Dick to hide his face in Bruce’s neck. _God, Bruce smelled so good_ , despite that, he’d rather be anywhere else than in his arms. 

Dick listened to Bruce as he reassured everyone that he didn’t need any help before they were moving toward the entrance. The omega let himself breathe in the calming scent, submerging himself further into the depths of his alpha’s safe haven. But he couldn’t forget what had been said to him. _The lie… The fucking lie._ Once the omega felt humid air sweep across his skin, he forced himself to push away from the alpha’s neck in an effort to dislodge his hold.

“Let go of me,” Dick said softly, feeling his distress peak.

Bruce peered down at him with a puzzled brow. “Dick, wha-”

“Put me down!” Dick scowled at him and finally, Bruce set him on the ground but kept a hand on his shoulder.

“My love, tell me what happened?” Bruce asked worriedly. 

Dick didn’t say anything and moved out of reach, proceeding forward down the walkway.

“Dick, what’s wrong? What happened?” The alpha followed right on his heels. Dick didn’t stop walking, not even when they passed the threshold of the overhang of the building. 

“My love, talk to me.” Bruce took bigger steps and moved in front of the omega, blocking his path. “Did someone do something to you?” 

Dick glanced away, extending the silence for a considerable amount of time until Bruce sighed and called Alfred to come and pick them up. During their wait, Bruce was persistent in asking him about his troubles but Dick was hesitant to answer. He wanted to confront the alpha but he didn’t know if he was ready to hear the truth. _Bruce and Selina… what if Dick was truly her replacement… What if Bruce still loved her?_ And if he did, the omega wouldn’t be able to handle the boundless dejection. He knew he couldn’t. 

Eventually, Bruce stopped asking altogether, visibly struggling to hold himself back. Dick was too. He wanted to scream and ask his alpha for an explanation but he would wait until they got back to the Manor. About ten minutes later, the limo pulled up and Alfred stepped out, eyeing Dick with a knitted brow.

“Are you alright, Master Dick?” The butler said as he walked around the car and opened the door to the back seat.

“I’m fine, thanks Alfred,” Dick said, eyes never leaving the ground until he got into the car. He moved to the seat in front of the partition and turned his gaze toward the window as he heard Bruce close the door behind him.

“I thought you would have stayed longer, Master Bruce,” Alfred said after he got into the car.

“That was the plan but… Dick…” He sighed. “I need you to tell me what’s wrong.” Bruce urged once again and reached to touch the omega’s knee.

“Don’t touch me,” Dick said softly, pushing his hand away.

“My love…”

The nickname that Dick had grown fond of, now sounded unpleasant to his ears. _What if, what if that’s what Bruce called-_

“Is that what you called her?” Dick found himself saying, fully forsaking the need to hold back. He soon eyed his alpha with a stolid expression, simmering with growing anger.

“What did you say?” Bruce slipped him a questioning glance.

Dick swallowed, mouth going dry as he uttered the name, “ _Selina Kyle_ …” It burned to have the name touch his tongue and he almost didn’t finish his sentence. “...Is that what you used to call her? My love?”

The only thing that made a sound at that moment was the partition being rolled up behind Dick’s head, essentially giving them some privacy.

“Where… did you hear that name?”

Every one of Dick’s muscles tensed when Bruce didn’t deny his accusation. “You’re not going to deny it?” 

“Dick…,” Bruce faltered, mouth opening and closing, giving the omega a moronic answer. “Let’s talk about this later.”

“No, we’re going to talk about this now- I want to know who Selina is to you?” He asked, biting every word that came from his mouth.

“Right now is not really a good time to talk about this.” Bruce looked toward the closed partition but Dick didn’t really care if Alfred heard them or not. 

“Selina Kyle…” Dick said her name for a third time, seeing Bruce grimace at the sound of it. “Who is she to you?”

“Dick… I-” Bruce looked down at his lap and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Where did you hear that name? Who told you about her?” He repeated the question, growing impatient.

“It doesn’t matter where I heard it, just tell me who she is to you!” Dick snapped.

“Let’s...” Bruce hesitated. “I promise, we’ll talk about this when we get home.”

“Home?” Dick scoffed. “Your home? Her home? Because it’s definitely not mine. Compared to her, I’m just your guest.”

Bruce looked up, giving the omega a look of disbelief. “Where is this coming from? When have I ever made you feel that way? I’ve never said anything like that.”

“You didn’t have to say anything. Your actions show me… Keeping her presence around the house with those pictures, letters, books, and your old DVDs… that’s all from her, isn’t it?”

“Dick I… wanted to tell you about her but I didn’t know how to. Selina is…” Bruce wavered and took a deep breath. “… It’s hard for me to talk about her.”

“Trust me, Bruce, I think I would know how hard it is to talk about something.”

The alpha sighed harshly. “Listen, you already have enough on your plate. I didn’t think it would be right to bring her up in our current situation. I was going to wait a little longer-”

“Longer? How long!? Aren’t I your mate now? Shouldn’t I know these things already!? I shouldn’t have to find out about your past from someone else I don’t even know!”

“Who did you hear this from?” Bruce urged once more to find out who told Dick about Selina but the omega was losing his composure.

“It doesn’t matter who I heard it from. All that matters is that you didn’t tell me yourself! I had to listen to her fucking insult me when she told me that I was Selina’s replacement!”

“You’re not a replacement. Don’t _ever_ think that.”

“It’s hard not to at this point. Everyone compared me to Selina tonight. You saw them!”

“You’re not a replacement,” Bruce repeated, his jaw clenching in frustration.

“You saying that doesn’t change the fact that you lied to me; you lied straight to my face.” Dick drilled the words into him, feeling a sensation of guilt come from the alpha but that didn’t stop his dispute. “You could have told me who she was from the very first time I asked about that fucking picture! And for all the times I asked about her, you never told me that she was your childhood friend, your lover, and your… fiancé.” 

Something hardened in Bruce’s features then. “I feel like I have a choice in when I want to talk about my past relationships, Dick.” Bruce upheld his point, causing Dick to plunge into despair.

“But I’m here for that too. I want to know everything there is to know about you. Can’t you understand that? It’s not fair that she knows your favorite shows and wine and all the things I have to practically force out of you on a daily basis. I’m your mate, so I should know about you and your past. Everything!”

"When I asked about your past, you didn’t tell me either,” Bruce argued with an ever-growing frown. “But I let it go and I’ve never brought it up again.”

"Let it go?” Dick scoffed a laugh. “You didn’t let it go, you fucking forced me to go to therapy! Even after I told you I hated alpha orders _because of my past_ , you didn't take it back!” 

“I only wanted to help you-”

“I didn’t want it though- I still don’t want to but… but I _have_ to. For myself, for _us_!” Dick yelled, trying to make Bruce understand. “I’m willing to admit that, but you didn’t do that for me. You didn’t give me anything.”

“Alright, Dick. Since you feel the need to know _right now_ , I’ll tell you.” Bruce sat back against the seat, his anger now crossing its threshold as he stared back at the omega. “Yes, Selina Kyle was my fiancé, she was a part of _my family_ and she meant _everything_ to me.”

Dick tried not to wince at those words or the emotions that weighed heavily behind them. Bruce was despondent and truthful, making Dick feel numb all over; he felt the need to cover his ears but he couldn’t… he was the one that asked for this. 

“My decision to let her join the clan was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made and she died because of it. When it came time to find her body… her body was... ” Bruce closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I couldn’t even look at it…” He trailed off and Dick remained quiet, watching Bruce suffer through his memories. “I searched for the murderer, for years I did, and I came up with nothing.”

“W-why didn’t you just tell me that?” Dick asked, underlining his tone with hurt. “I don’t understand… you could have told me that from the start. Couldn’t you?” 

“...It takes me a while to.... accept things.” He spoke carefully. 

In the beginning, Dick would have accepted this explanation until Bruce was willing to tell him more. He would have consoled him just as Bruce did for him but now, it was hard for him to even care. Dick was his mate now; they were together now. He shouldn’t have to suffer through this…

“Even now I… I miss...” The words died on Bruce’s lips as a mistake and it should have never been spoken.

“You…” Dick’s eyes shifted to the side, glazing over with a sheen of unshed tears. “...You miss being with her?”

“No, it’s not like that.” Despite his anger, Bruce sat on the edge of the seat, wanting to get closer to comfort his omega. “I have you and my family to focus on, so I-”

“You? ...My family?” A tear slipped from the corner of Dick’s eye and what followed was swamped in tremors. “Am I not a part of your family?”

Bruce widened his eyes and his anger was replaced by instant regret. “Dick, I didn’t mean it like that, I-”

“It was so easy for you to call Selina your family… _so easy_ …” Dick’s lower lip quivered and more tears slid down his cheek. “And I can’t be mad at you for that because of how long you've known her, but it hurts… _it hurts so much_.”

“My love, please-” Bruce reached out to him.

“Don’t call me that anymore and don’t touch me.” Dick wept and turned away from Bruce, wiping his tears on the sleeve of his shirt. “I don’t want to be near you right now.” 

The unfinished future Bruce had with Selina has now been replaced by a new future he was supposed to have with Dick. The omega understood that it was a part of closing the past but still… Bruce will always have some feelings for her even though she’s been gone for so long. Those memories with her will always be a part of the alpha’s sadness and happiness- and that’s exactly why it will be Dick’s downfall. The omega was still struggling to grasp his place here, amongst the Wayne family. At one point, he believed he could do it; he felt like everything was taking a turn. Or maybe, he was just being delusional. 

_How can he compete with someone Bruce considered family? His everything?_

During the course of his ever-flowing tears, Dick sneered the words, “You’re a liar… You’ve lied to me all this time and you’ve constantly broken promises.” A tinge of ridicule in his tone secured his distrust. “I’m so _stupid_. I allowed all of this to happen and now look at me?” Dick cast his gaze on Bruce one last time. “I’m tied to you for life and I’m stuck here... living in Selina’s shadow…”


	21. Heedful Surprise

~* 3 weeks later *~

For the fifth time that night, Dick heard his phone vibrate. He ignored it and instead focused on the television where an NPC game character was beating his ass. He cursed, biting his lip in frustration as he attempted to get in another combo but it was futile. No matter how many hours he’d been playing this fighting game, he wasn’t getting any better.

“I told you that the expert level was hard.” Wally walked into his bedroom, just as Dick’s character K.O’d. “Give it here.”

Dick handed the controller to Wally as he climbed onto his bed. “You make it look so easy,” Dick muttered as he sat up from his spot on the floor and leaned back against the side of the bed. 

“Practice makes perfect.” Wally jeered then hit the ‘retry’ option. “And you’re drunk. I think that’s one of the main reasons you’re sucking ass right now.”

“Yeah,” Dick laughed, “I’m pretty drunk but it’s your fault. You’re the one who brought out three packs of beer.” He glanced around the room at the slew of empty beer bottles and crumpled bags of chips. Dick has never been drunk in his life and had never planned on it either. To bad Wally’s apartment was stocked full of alcohol and the beta was extremely convincing when it came to Dick drinking along with him.

“The best stuff happens when you’re drunk.” Wally proclaimed. “Especially since it’s just us, I thought it would be okay. But I’m starting to think that was a bad idea.”

Having grown dizzy from sitting upright, Dick laid back down on the floor and uttered a soft, “Why?” 

“Because you look pale.” 

Dick rolled onto his back and looked up at Wally. “Do I?” 

The beta nodded. “Yeah, like really pale. Paler than you did yesterday- Yes!” He cheered after he K.O’d the character Dick couldn’t beat.

“It’s probably because I haven’t been sleeping that well.”

“Oh right, you did tell me something about that- bummer.” Wally threw the controller on the space next to him. “Have you tried taking sleeping pills?”

“No... you have some?”

“I can go check real quick. Give me one sec.” Dick moved his legs to the side, giving Wally some space to step off the bed then watched him leave the room. 

For the past two weeks, Dick had been hanging out at Wally’s apartment. After texting for a while, leisurely and effortlessly, they easily bypassed the awkward stage when they first met up. Dick never understood how they were able to talk so comfortably but in a way, it just worked. Wally was funny, laid-back, easy-going, and stress-free. It was something that Dick really needed right now.

Essentially, he placed all his worries on hold (concerning DS and the Wayne family) he didn’t want to deal with any of them at the moment. It was rather careless of him to go on ignoring the possibilities of hunters coming after him. But after Tim hacked the SMS and sent out the threat--as expected the number of hunters dropped--and Dick thought it was alright to leave the house by himself.

Another vibration trembled against Dick’s right arm, causing him to sigh tiredly.

“Your phone’s ringing again?” Wally commented as he walked into the room with a pill bottle and a glass of water.

“It’s nothing but the same persistent and annoying scam caller.” Dick sat up and grabbed the things he asked for.

“Woah, why did that sound a bit personal?”

“Did it really?”

“Very.” Wally flopped back on his bed. “Just put your phone on silent or block them. I feel like I tell you that every time you come over.”

“...Guess I should.” Dick grabbed his phone, watching the lock screen light up.

_3 Messages_

_6 Missed Calls_

“Wanna watch another movie or do you want me to take you home?”

“Mm,” Dick unlocked his phone and swiftly put it on silent before he could second guess himself. “Think you can take me back after one more movie? Unless that’s too late for you?”

“No, it’s not a problem. It’s only eight o’clock and I don’t have work tomorrow anyways.”

“Right, I almost forgot.” Dick set his phone to the side and laid back down. He sighed quietly, taking quick peeks at his cell with a feeling of indifference. 

“What do you wanna watch?” Wally asked.

“Whatever you want.”

“Alright, well don’t be mad when I pick another stupid movie.”

“That’s fine.” Dick smiled. “It’s funny hearing your commentary.”

“This is why I like you.” Wally sniffed, faking tears. “You don’t get irritated when I talk throughout the movie.”

Dick rolled his eyes. “You’re so dramatic.”

They watched another stupid Syfy movie with bad CGI and drank another pack of beer. As their carelessness would have it, they lost track of time and drank more than they needed. So much so that Dick was in and out of consciousness, lolling to the sound of Wally’s drowsy voice. By the time Dick realized the movie was over, he was laying on his stomach, face smashed into a pillow Wally gave him. He listened to the beta ramble on about his friends, Dick had yet to meet, and other random things. 

A while later the TV flickered off due to the automatic timer, making the room completely dark. Sure enough, no one felt like getting up to turn the lights on, so the small talk continued on in the darkness. Dick found it quite relaxing, just talking, telling various stories, all of which came easy for Wally share. So easy and yet some people couldn’t do it. They didn’t even try to. Instead, they lie and try to cover their tracks with more lies until they get caught then they play the victim and then-

“Hey,” Wally said, startling Dick out of his stupor.

“Mm?”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you this but I didn’t want to pry.”

“What is it?”

It took the beta a while to speak but the question was nothing less than straightforward. “Why are you wearing a collar?”

Dick didn’t answer, leaving the room open to the low hum of the dryer in the distance.

“You don’t have to tell me about it. I just find it… strange, with you having a mate and everything…” When there was no response, Wally almost took back what he said but then there was a clicking sound and a clang as Dick dropped the collar on the ground. 

“Wait, you didn’t have to take it off. I was just asking.” Wally slowly sat up and looked over the edge of his bed, seeing a dark figure lying back down. 

“No, it’s cool. It’s uncomfortable to sleep in anyway.” 

“Right…” Wally stared down at Dick for a while longer before laying back and remorsefully saying, “You wanna talk about it?”

“Not really...” Dick responded, voice mimicking that of something shaky and forlorn. 

Wally remained silent, thinking about the first day they hung out and how Dick came out of the Manor wearing that same collar. It was a pheromone blocker, that's for sure because ever since Dick removed it, a sweet smell wafted off of him.

“You smell... different,” Wally commented after a while.

“How so?”

“I don’t know... but it’s sort of distracting.”

Dick laughed drowsily, speaking slowly. “How is it distracting?”

“I don’t know how," Wally chuckled softly. "But you know what they say.” 

“Wally, what are you getting at?”

“You know? That when an omega smells different, they might be pregnant. Actually, its a fact.” Wally chose to leave out the fact that Dick smelled distressed as well because he wasn’t sure if he was thinking too much. Apparently he was because Dick’s sudden burst of laughter sounded incredulous.

“Pregnant!?” Dick continued laughing, his foot kicking an abandoned beer bottle during his dramatic shambling.

“Why are you laughing when I’m being serious?” 

“That’s because what you said was ridiculous.” Dick sluggishly answered after he calmed down from his hysterics. “There’s no way I’m pregnant. _No way.”_

“You never know.”

Dick grimaced, feeling too sleepy to argue any further. “Okay, stop, now you’re just being weird.”

“If I’m weird, you’re weird.” Wally retorted.

“I’m less weird.” Dick yawned, with a smile, 

Wally chuckled. “I swear we’re acting like we’re teenagers right now.” 

“You always call me that.”

“I can’t help but think that. Especially after seeing you get that tattoo last week. Are you going through a rebellious stage or what?”

“Maybe I am. But I think it would have been fun…” The omega mumbled, eyes growing heavy as he did.

“Huh? What would’ve been fun?”

“Being an actual teenager…”

Wally frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You know? Going to highschool... hanging out with friends… all those things.” 

Wally stopped talking at that point, listening to Dick speak through his drowsiness. He assumed that his friend was completely wasted at this point because he didn’t know what the hell he was talking about?

“I wish I could've done that…”

A long period of silence followed, prompting Wally to look down at Dick once more, finding his dark figure breathing evenly. “Fucking falling asleep on me.” He tutted and pulled his phone out from under his pillow. He was supposed to drop Dick off back at home but it was already 2 a.m. Once he thought about it, this was the first time that Dick had ever stayed this late. Wally _would_ wake the omega up, sadly, he was still feeling a bit light-headed from the alcohol. Wally ultimately decided that he would drop Dick off tomorrow. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be a problem.

.

.

.

Wally wasn’t sure what time he woke up and went to the restroom. All he knew was that when he came out, he caught sight of his friend's phone screen, lighting up the dark room. He made it in time to see the lock screen display the amount of missed calls and messages Dick had.

_11 missed calls_

_4 messages_

The screen went black soon after, only to light up once again with Bruce Wayne’s name as the caller ID. _Had he been the one calling this whole time?_

“Dick,” Wally said sleepily. “Dick, wake up. Your mate’s calling.” He softly kicked the omega’s foot, getting no response. 

“Whatever.” Wally murmured and stumbled as he stepped over Dick to get to his bed, accidentally kicking the omega’s arm. It came as a surprise to him when he heard a faint voice from below after he plopped down on the bed. He sat up and looked over the edge, seeing the light from Dick’s phone halfway hidden beneath his arm but there was a faint voice coming from the speaker. Apparently, on Wally’s blind trek to the bed, he had hit Dick’s arm which in turn answered the phone somehow. 

_“Dick?”_

Wally quickly made his way to the floor and shook his wasted friend. “Dick, wake up” He whispered, earning a soft groan in return but the omega remained dormant.

_“Dick? Are you there?”_

Wally listened to the distant voice with slight panic.

_“Can you hear me?”_

“Shit.” On impulse, Wally slid the phone out from under Dick’s arm and put it to his ear, immediately dreading the action. “Uh, hello? Mr. Wayne?” He greeted sheepishly while maintaining his never-ending attempt to wake up Dick.

There was a pause- _a long pause_ , then a gruff reply. _“Who is this?”_

“This is Wally West, uh, Dick’s friend and-”

_“Barry's nephew?”_

“Yeah, my uncle.” Wally couldn’t help but feel really awkward. He’s only talked to Bruce when his uncle was around and even then, they never had a real conversation.

There was another pause then a dark rebuttal. _“Where's Dick?”_

Wally gulped. “He’s sort of knocked out right now- I’m trying to wake him up but that's not working out so well.”

_“He’s at your place?”_

_Shouldn’t he already know that?_ “Yeah, he’s been here all day. He drank a lot so… I’ll try to wake him so he can talk-”

_“No, don’t wake him.”_

Wally stopped shaking the omega immediately, feeling as if the alpha was watching him. “... Alright?”

_“Make sure to have him home safely before noon.”_

“Yeah, of course, I can do-.”

Before Wally could say anything else, the line went dead and the beta was left staring straight ahead into the darkness. _What the hell was that? It sounded like Bruce didn’t even know Dick was hanging out with him in the first place._ If he were being honest, Wally had suspected something was going on between them for a while now. Not once, has Dick ever talked about Bruce or anyone else in that house since they started hanging out. The omega also looked weary, a little dim, and slightly unwell. Wally found it strange, to say the least, but he wasn’t one to meddle into other people’s relationships. Still, Wally wasn’t just going to ignore the matter. Mostly because he answered Dick’s phone (by accident of course). 

Thankfully when it came time to tell Dick about it later that morning, the omega took it in slight. Possibly a little saddened upon hearing Wally’s opposition to the entire “leaving Bruce out” thing. 

“I get it, you two are going through some shit, but I really think you should tell him where you're going, at least.” The beta sat down in front of Dick, watching him scarcely eat his cereal with a somber expression. And Wally, being the type of guy that wasn’t good with dealing with sadness, quickly changed the mood. “I mean because I don't wanna get in trouble with the big guy. He sounded like he wanted to choke me through the phone or something.”

Dick chuckled. “He probably would have, especially if you were an alpha.”

“I've never been so happy to not be an alpha at the moment.”

“You and me both. Still, that wouldn't stop me from hanging with you.”

“That’s good and all but you would still have to tell him we’re friends, okay?” Wally reiterated with a firm expression.

“Okay, I get it.” Dick huffed in understanding. “I’ll tell him when I get back to the Manor.”

Wally nodded and watched the omega continuously stir the now soggy cereal. “You're not gonna finish that?”

Dick tucked a piece of hair behind his ear, feeling his stomach stir at the thought of eating more cereal. “No… I'm finished but… can you do something for me?”

“Sure.”

“Can you take me to the store? I need to buy something.”

“Buy what?”

Dick took a deep breath, giving the soggy cereal a dull expression. “You’ll see when we get there.”

Wally lifted a brow, watching his friend go poker face when he stared back at him. “Sounds exciting.”

The spoon slipped between Dick’s fingers, causing the handle to hit the side of the glass bowl with a clang. “Not for me, it isn’t.”

~*~

Tim was in the livingroom when the yelling started. The house had been extra quiet for quite some time (more like weeks), hence his startled reaction when it happened. Dick and Bruce’s voices came from the dining room and echoed off the walls, both saying something along the lines of ‘hanging out with Wally’ and ‘leaving the house without an escort.’ Tim assumed that Bruce already knew about this current development; regrettably, he didn’t.

Granted, Wally was the only person that was able to change Dick’s mood from solemn to happy these days. From the short explanation the omega gave them weeks ago, it would seem that they met at the party and boy, did he have the ability to bring out Dick’s best smile. Regardless of that, everyone in the house could agree that the omega was being extremely reckless. After Tim finally hacked into the SMS and sent out the message, he gave Dick a locater so he could see where the hunters are at all times. The omega took this as an opportunity to go out on his own but it wasn’t safe- DS was still after him. But Dick seemed reluctant to talk about it or talk to any of them at all, except Alfred.

This was something Tim didn’t understand. Everyone was guilty of knowing the secret about Selina, especially Alfred, and yet, the omega specifically overlooked the butler’s involvement in all of this. It wasn’t fair and he hated seeing Jason feel responsible for lying on Bruce’s behalf. 

Jason briefly mentioned something about Dick finding Selina’s letter a couple of months ago and how he lied when he was asked about it. Tim for the life of him didn’t understand why Jason cared so much about what Dick thought but if it would put his brother in high spirits again, he was willing to talk to the omega.

The argument between Bruce and Dick ended way faster than Tim expected. The last thing he heard Dick say was ‘I’m done talking about it’ and before long, the omega passed by him on the way to the stairs. Tim sat there for a while, debating on whether to go check on Bruce or not. In the end, Tim closed his laptop and went to the dining room, seeing Bruce sitting down with his head in his hands. 

“Bruce?” Tim said quietly, placing a hand on the alpha’s shoulder. “You okay?”

“...I don’t know.” The alpha faintly admitted and Tim hadn’t expected him too.

“I’m sorry for not telling you about Dick leaving the house." Tim emulated his worry. "I thought you already knew.”

A soft sigh accompanied the alpha’s dismissal. “No, it’s not your fault, Tim. None of this is.” 

A bit saddened by Bruce’s reaction, Tim sat down in the seat next to him but he wasn't sure how to respond. Tim hated seeing Bruce disheartened and he was at a loss when it came to comforting people. “If you need me to do anything, I can try and help.”

Bruce peered up at him, giving Tim a warm smile. “I’m alright, Tim.” 

“You sure?”

The alpha nodded and stood up, checking the time on his cellphone. “I’m going into the office today.”

“But it's Sunday? It’s your day off?”

“I have some work I need to finish.” Bruce took out his wallet and handed Tim his debit card. “Here- order whatever food you like since Alfred is out visiting his daughter.”

“Kay.” Tim took the card and Bruce ruffled his hair. 

“I’ll see you later tonight.” 

Tim watched the alpha pocket his wallet before walking off in the direction of the garage. Tim sighed and set the card down on the dining room table. First Jason left to hang out with his friends then Alfred and now Bruce. Tim considered himself pretty much alone at this point, that is, if Dick weren’t here. He sighed again and gazed up at the ceiling, contemplating on whether or not he should talk to him today. Right now did seem like the best time but he and Dick didn’t exactly talk much by themselves. Tim admits to having a bit of fun throwing a jab here and there with the omega but now things were different- the family was broken in a way.

It didn’t take Tim long to make a decision and he was on his way to Dick’s room before he could change his mind. He made his way to the third floor to a room at the end of the hallway- one Dick had been sleeping in since the night of the party.

“Dick? Tim knocked on the door but no one answered. “Can I come in?” He knocked again, then for a third time with no response. _Was he somewhere else in the house?_

Tim decided to confirm his suspicions and opened the door, seeing an empty room that wasn’t completely void of sound. There was a noise coming from the bathroom, a low retching noise, followed by a series of coughs. Tim stood aback, uncertainty in his step. He was unsure if he should say something but his concern got the best of him and he soon knocked on the bathroom door.

“Um… Dick?” Tim called, hearing everything go quiet on the other side of the door. “You okay in there?”

“Yeah…” Tim heard the toilet flush. “Just give me a second.” 

Tim moved away from the door and looked around the room. It looked vaguely similar to the others just a different color scheme and a bit messy. Not so different from Tim’s own; in terms of an unmade bed and clothes thrown on the floor. On his prod to sit on the bed, something on the dresser caught his eye. He squinted, seeing the familiar image of a pregnancy test stick on the small package. He looked at the bathroom door, hearing the water running and guessed that Dick might be brushing his teeth. Accordingly, Tim jumped at the chance to meddle and swiftly crept toward the dresser. The box had clearly been opened, for the sticks were missing. In view of this, Tim could only hope that it was true; that Dick was pregnant and he’d finally get a younger sibling.

Just then, the bathroom door opened and Dick came out, making Tim quickly turn around. He couldn’t help but notice the way Dick had been looking, as of recent. The omega seemed well put together in his casual clothes, unfortunately, that did nothing to hide the patent dimness that consumed his entire being. Dick was pale, immensely pale, and clearly fatigued. The cause-- everyone knew as of now-- for bonded mates can only go so long without being near one another. Dick had taken to sleeping in another room and not once did he come down when Bruce came home from work. Not until today but even then it wasn’t enough. No one commented on Bruce and Dick’s sickly exhaustion. Everyone acted like it was just another day. Or at least, that’s how it looked on the surface. 

Tim couldn’t smell pheromones but from what Jason said, it was almost unbearable how much distress the omega was in. He figured that was the reason Jason seemed uncomfortable whenever Dick was in the room. Dick must have realized it too which is why he’d been wearing a collar to block out his pheromones. This was a shock to Tim in more ways than one. With how unwilling Dick had been to wear it before, Tim assumed it reminded him too much of his awful past, but here he was… wearing the collar without complaint.

“Is there something you wanted?” Dick questioned, uneasiness ever-present.

“You're pregnant?” Tim asked, unabashedly walking over to sit on the foot of Dick’s bed.

Without giving an answer, Dick looked aside and folded his arms.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were?” Tim kicked a leg back and forth back, with a tiny smirk. “Alfred did say your appetite has been strange lately and just now, you were throwing up."

Dick peeked at him before glancing away once again. “What did you really come here for, Tim?”

“You always avert your eyes when you don't want to confront something, mostly when you’re lying.” 

A flash of annoyance swept across the omega’s expression. “Great, now you're an analyst.”

“I can't scent you so this is all that I’ve got going for me. Thanks for the compliment though.” Tim stopped moving his foot, keeping an eye on Dick’s ever-growing irritation. 

“Just please tell me what you want?” 

Tim shrugged one shoulder and Dick’s natural response was to roll his eyes. At the moment, Tim was more interested in learning about Dick’s pregnancy and his reluctance to talk about it. And maybe he was being a bit harsh but what if… “You don’t want it?”

Affliction shone in Dick’s brow before he sighed heavily. “As if I’m going to talk about this with you.”

Tim chewed his bottom lip, remorse clouded his mind but he felt compelled to ask the obvious, “Are you… gonna…”

Dick let his arms fall to his side and he soon grew tired of standing. He made his way over to the bed, thinking that Tim genuinely had a problem with not knowing where to draw the line. And frankly speaking, he wished Bruce were this open and honest sometimes. 

“So you are?” Tim turned around when Dick sat down on the right side of the bed, naturally nosing his way into the omega’s business. 

Dick held his breath and shook his head. “I can’t… omegas have to have an alpha’s permission and signature to get an abortion.”

Tim blew out a breath. _So he’s thought about it…_

“I already know Bruce wouldn’t agree.” Dick looked down at his lap.

“You’re right. He would fight you until the very end.” Tim knew how much Bruce loved children and he knew he would never allow Dick to get an abortion.

“How noble of him,” Dick mumbled sarcastically.

“Are you at least gonna tell him about it?”

Dick peered at Tim with a brow knitted in disbelief. “Of course, I will. Whenever I calm down I will.”

Tim nodded.

“I won’t be keeping secrets from him like he did to me.” Dick soon added, causing Tim grimace. 

“Listening to the way you talk,” Tim idly picked at the lint on his pants and spoke with a small voice. “I’m guessing you don’t like him anymore.”

“Like him…? Of course I like him. A lot.” Dick added. “Even without the soulmate thing, I would like him.”

This made Tim look up to inspect the truth in Dick’s words. A tentative smile lingered on the omegas lips before it lowered into a pitiable gaze.

“But he hurt me and lied to me- I don’t think I can forgive him for that.”

Tim gave a bitter laugh, finding out exactly how much he agreed with Dick’s statement. “He hurt us too when he stopped talking to us and hanging out with us after Selina died but... I know Bruce doesn’t mean it; he doesn’t _intentionally_ mean to hurt us or anyone.” Sympathy revealed itself in Tim’s expression and Dick didn’t understand why until the meaning was exposed. “Because I know that he’s hurting too.”

Dick immediately imitated Tim’s sympathy but not in the same way. “I’m sure he is.” _I have no right to tell a person when they should stop mourning but… Bruce mated with me when he still missed her. That’s not something I should have to deal with._ Dick would have said out loud but he didn’t think it was right to pull Tim further into this situation.

“He’s gotten better since you've been here.” Tim downcast his gaze and went back to picking at the lint. “I was kinda hoping that it would go back to that.”

“...I’m sorry, Tim,” Dick muttered dismally, “but I'm not sure when it will.”

Tim exhaled softly, having already grown tired of the somber mood. “Well, at least talk to Jason. He feels really guilty about everything too and I don’t want him feeling sad.”

Dick cocked his head, offering the teenager a curious smile. “You seem to care a lot about how Jason feels.”

Tim quickly turned his face away, feeling a familiar heat rise to his cheeks. “Well he’s just- he's my brother and...” He speedily changed the subject and rambled on. “Jay and I have never really liked Selina anyways. She was always on business trips and all she really cared about was Bruce and making him happy. Don’t get me wrong, she was nice to us and bought us souvenirs and stuff but she wasn’t like… y-you? But that doesn't mean I like or anything- sorta… maybe?” Tim sighed in frustration. “What I mean is, I’d rather have you here than her and I’m pretty sure Bruce does too and-”

Dick’s unexpected laughter cut him off. Tim turned around, seeing Dick laying back on the bed with a bright smile- one he hadn’t seen in a while.

“You know,” Dick said between huffs of laughter. “Once I think about it, you were the first person to make me laugh when I got here. Remember? You telling Bruce to give Jason a whooping for breaking all the glass in the kitchen?” 

Tim did remember and when he did, he smiled at the thought, listening to Dick’s laugh die down in the background.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen you smile, I think. I actually don’t remember.” Dick told Tim with a grin, wiping the corner of his eyes.

“You’re not the first person to tell me that,” Tim confessed. “I don’t smile much plus I complain a lot. But what are little brothers for? They're supposed to be annoying.” Tim easily acknowledged, hearing Dick grow quiet. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

“Little brother, huh?” Dick wore a tender smile.

Tim gave a half shrug. “Well, it’s better than when Jason calls you mommy.”

“God, that’s worse than the ‘Dickie’ nickname.”

“He gives out the worst nicknames. Timmy?” Tim sneered. “I hate it.”

Dick snickered and sat upright. “It’s your turn to give him a horrible nickname then. I’ll help you think of one.”

Tim nodded and gave him the okay sign, already thinking of a couple on the spot.

Dick sighed and climbed off the bed, giving the teenager a pleasant smile. “Thanks Tim. That actually made me feel a little better.”

“You have to promise you won’t tell anyone I talked bad about Selina. If you do, I’ll tell you even more things I didn’t like about her.”

Dick snorted and held up his fist, feeling a bit childish for going along with this. “Deal.” After he agreed, Tim quickly returned the fist bump with a feeble smile.

“I guess I better go tell Bruce I’m pregnant now since I’ve calmed down.”

“You can’t now because he went into the office.”

Confusion flickered in Dick’s eyes before he shrugged. “I guess I’ll wait until later then. Let’s go out to eat somewhere. I’m starving.”

“Cool, who’s driving?” Tim stood up, watching Dick sift through the pile of clothes on the bed.

“You, of course.”

“I don’t think that's a good idea. Bruce doesn’t like it when me or Jason drive his cars.” _Which is exactly why he wanted his own._ “You should drive.”

“Me?” Dick laughed. “To tell you the truth, I’m not a good driver. I wasn’t really taught how- with road signs and all that.” He paused, realization dawning on his face. “I just kind of figured out the handling on my own when I was forced to do so. Sounds weird, right?”

“It makes sense...” Tim answered awkwardly, watching Dick pull a blue shirt out of the pile before pulling off the long sleeve one he was wearing.

Something silver caught Tim's attention, causing him to go wide-eyed. “You got your nipples pierced!?”

“Hm?” Dick looked down at his chest. “Oh, yeah, I forgot about that.”

“And a tattoo?” Tim looked at the black swirly pattern going around his wrist.

“It’s about time I got that DS tattoo covered up, don’t you think?” Dick chuckled and twisted his wrist around, showing Tim the rest. “You think Bruce will hate it?”

Tim eyed the tattoo, wondering when exactly did Dick get it. “I don’t know what he’ll think.” 

“I think he’ll like it, especially this.” Dick flicked his nipple piercing with a grin and a tiny wince.

“Ew! Okay! Stop!” Tim covered his eyes.

Dick laughed aloud while he put on his shirt.

“I swear _you're_ the rebellious teenager and not me.” Tim peeked at Dick through his fingers.

“I just wanted to make use of that black card Bruce gave me all those months ago.” Dick could admit that he was doing things on an impulse. However, everything he did had been fun and reckless and he had never felt freer.

Sadly, all good things come to an end and eventually, Dick would have to tell Bruce he was pregnant. The fact of the matter is, he didn’t want to be… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Dick drank alcohol without knowing he was pregnant. 😬  
> But everything will be fine 🙂


	22. Dubious Remembrances

“Knock, knock.”

Bruce looked up from his paperwork, having already recognized the voice on the other side of the door.

“Kathy,” The alpha said, watching his cousin pop her head through the crack of the door. “You’re late.”

“Forgive me, your highness.” She answered playfully, making her way inside. “I had to stop at my favorite dessert shop on the way.” She held up a box that said ‘City Desserts’ and placed it on Bruce’s desk before sitting down. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in Gotham so I wanted to visit a few places.”

“You didn’t bring Bette with you?”

Kathy shook her head. “No, she wanted to stay at the hotel and take a nap. She says ‘hi,’ though.” She mentioned as her eyes flashed about the papers scattered on Bruce's desk. Then she regarded the withering look on his face, prompting her to ask, “How have you been doing lately?”

“Tired.” Bruce’s expression turned rigid. “Extremely tired.”

“I can see that clear as day. I’m guessing your little honeymoon phase has kept you up at all hours of the night.” She teased and inspected her manicured nails, hearing Bruce sigh.

“Kathy.” He cautioned.

She chuckled, looking at Bruce with a suggestive stare. “That’s what I assumed since you’ve gotten yourself a soulmate, now. Bette and I were so surprised when we found out and I’m sure the other members were too." She paused, assessing the alpha’s quaint gaze. "We couldn’t believe that you had gone and mated with an assassin of all things… a DS assassin at that.”

Bruce set his pen down, making a steeple of his fingers. “I’ve already given you all a run down on everything. Now I’m simply waiting for your cooperation.”

“Brucie, darling, you must realize that after Selina’s death, you wanted nothing to do with us or the clan.” 

There was no denying the honesty in her words. Bruce had been relatively depressed, angry, and conveniently able to disband the clan when he couldn’t stand the tension. He believed the cause of Selina’s death rested on his shoulders and lost all motivation to engage in any clan activities. Her death weakened Bruce in ways that he would possibly never heal from. It left him hesitant in where he used to have confidence and it snatched away a vast amount of his joy. He blamed himself. He would never not blame himself. And he would always regret letting her join the clan.

“We went about our separate ways,” Kathy made steady eye contact as she continued. “And now we have our own lives.”

Bruce nodded, tilting his head and looking askance. “I know I made a mistake and I understand that now.”

“Mm...” Kathy peered back down at her nails. “Well, I, being the least disappointed in your little mourning stage, decided to contact you first. Though I have to say, I only did it because you still send me and Bette gifts for our birthdays.”

“Despite everything that’s happened, we’re still family.” A touch of a smile appeared on his face. “I feel like I have too.”

“We’re distant relatives.” She deadpanned with a gentle smile.

“Not that distant. You still sent Tim a graduation gift.”

“I had to because I felt so bad for having to miss it. By the way,” She leaned forward, searching Bruce’s eyes. “Has he presented yet?”

Shaking his head, Bruce sat back in his seat. “Not yet.”

Kathy sighed. “Poor boy, if he doesn’t present by seventeen, then he’s…”

“He’ll present,” Bruce reassured her, for he’s never doubted Tim’s circumstance.

“I’m glad you’re still there to comfort him,” Kathy uttered, eyes catching sight of a box sitting on the ground by to the alpha’s desk. “What’s this?” She bent down, dragging the package next to her foot, gaze widening at the contents. “Are these all of you’re photos with Selina? I was wondering why your office looked a bit empty.” 

Kathy pulled out one of the many frames, noting how young Selina and Bruce looked. “Ah, this one was from your college graduation. Her hair was longer then.” Kathy muttered as she grabbed another one, blocking the sunlight’s reflection from the glass. “Why are these in a box?” 

“...I was planning on getting rid of them.”

Kathy glared at the alpha, scrutinizing his decision. “Get rid of them? Why should you? These are precious memories. You shouldn’t get rid of these.” 

“No, I think I should.” Bruce insisted once more, watching Kathy place the frames back into the box.

“Bruce, has your mate told you to get rid of these?” Kathy questioned. “If not, I don’t understand why you need to throw them away? That’s insane.”

“It’s my own decision.” The alpha declared heavily.

“Brucie, darling, I won’t let you get rid of these. They’re priceless.” She looked down at the bundle of photos. “We were all friends with Selina… These pictures are precious to all of us.” Kathy explained. 

“I know but… I really think it’s for the best that I get rid of them.” The alpha insisted but the dark circles under his eyes did nothing to hide his unwillingness to do so. 

Kathy stared at him for a while, her frown endlessly growing. “You've known her since you were practically babies, Brucie. Thirty long years and now you want to get rid of these pictures?” 

The prospect didn’t sit right with her conscience. It was unquestionable that she didn’t fully agree with her cousin's decision to retire and mourn for so long but getting rid of pictures was overdoing it. 

“I know you said that this was your own decision but I’m starting to think that your mate has something to do with this.” Kathy reiterated, seeing the drawn-down corners of Bruce’s mouth. “You did tell him about Selina didn’t you?”

“He knows about her.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Kathy hoped that Bruce’s mate wasn’t one of those overly jealous types.

At that question, Bruce’s eye contact grew minimal until he was clearing his throat and looking down at his desk. “He didn’t know until… after we were mated- after we went public.”

Kathy blinked and peered down at the box without missing a beat. “Well… I’ll just take these off your hands for you.” With that, she slid the box all the way behind her chair. For now, she could only hope that Bruce’s mate hadn’t visited this office yet, otherwise, he would have seen the twenty plus pictures of Selina before they were packed away. 

“I’ll keep them with me for now. Maybe later… in life, you can come and retrieve them from my place.” Fortunately, Bruce seemed to agree with the idea but goodness- how could her cousin be such a thoughtless inconceivable idiot? Then again, he spent a lot of years engaged to Selina with wishy-washy assurances. All because he thought he’d meet his mate again and he was right, but that’s neither here or there. This, Richard Grayson, was still a DS assassin and unlike Selina, his path was less virtuous- sickening actually.

“You’ve at least told your mate about seeing him at the circus all those years ago? It’s been about fifteen years since then.” Kathy asked, briefly wondering if she truly cared. 

Bruce refused to look her way but answered accordingly. “I have yet to tell him that...”

She ran a palm down her face, exhaling harshly. “Brucie, darling, you’ve messed up; you’ve _royally_ fucked up.”

Bruce didn’t want to admit that yes, he had indeed fucked up. He’d fucked up to the point that Dick wasn’t even sleeping with him anymore nor were they on speaking terms. There was no telling how long this would go on and Bruce wasn’t sure how much more isolation he could take. 

Bruce overtly changed the subject, facial expression regaining some of its hardness. “Let’s get back to discussing why you wanted to meet.” 

Kathy decided not to push the situation and proceeded forward. Though later, she knew she would gossip with Bette about this. “Well, I'll get down to the more serious matters then. The reason I came here was to inform you about our clan’s distrust in your mate.”

“Distrust?” Bruce scowled, instantly on the defense. “For what?”

“I know you’ve told us about his situation in great detail but the others are still suspicious.” Kathy reiterated, feeling a slight shift in the air. She was an omega and could easily scent Bruce’s rigid pheromones but that didn’t stop her from talking. “They’re going to do a little investigating on their own before we all gather together.”

“There’s no need for that.” Bruce’s tone hardened.

“They just want to make sure that he is who he says he is and not just leading you on.”

“You won’t find anything.” Bruce declared through gritted teeth, glaring in objection.

“Have you ever investigated him for yourself?” Kathy folded her arms and frowned in return. 

Soulmate or not, one's mind can still divert from that selected path. Kathy had been teasing earlier when she mentioned Bruce's profound fatigue because it proved her suspicions to be true. Mated pairs grow weaker the less time they spend together to the point where the bond can easily be broken. Albeit, Kathy didn’t have a soulmate but she had been previously bonded with someone and had experienced this herself. The scar she bore on the back of her neck was enough proof as it is. It wasn’t a formal rejection that was forced upon her by her alpha but a choice she made herself to distance herself from an abusive lover. The only way for an omega to break their bond was to leave. Could that be what Richard was doing?

“I have no need to investigate because I trust him,” Bruce, at this point, was dead to all disputes made against his mate.

“You trust him simply because your instincts tell you too,” Kathy argued only because she was afraid that Richard might be using their connection as soulmates to spy on Bruce for DS.

“Kathy, I will not argue with you or anyone else about this. I trust him with my life.” Bruce declared and Kathy knew he wasn’t lying.

Kathy sighed and shook her head. “But _we_ don’t. I’m sorry, Brucie but despite your confidence in him, we’re still going to look into things.”

Bruce didn’t respond, instead, he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“I’ll call you when we’re ready.” Kathy stood up and grabbed her box of desserts placing it on top of the box of pictures. After grabbing the bigger box and holding it against her chest, she regarded her cousin. “I’m truly sorry it has to be this way Brucie, but it’s obvious you’re still broken about Selina’s death.” Kathy hesitated to say her next words but it had to be done. “And I believe that you only mated with your soulmate because… he was the only immediate fix for you...”

The alpha’s pheromones filled the room with rage but Kathy stood her ground. She was used to her cousin’s anger and wouldn’t allow it to make her submit.

“...That’s not true.” Bruce finally spoke, tone murky with discontent. 

Kathy gave her cousin a sad smile. “Seems that I’ve overstepped my boundaries a bit.” She let off with a timid laugh. “I’m sorry about that.”

As expected, Bruce didn’t reply, making it apparent that he wanted her to leave. Kathy turned around and sauntered toward the door. “It was nice seeing you again, cousin.” In short, she looked back at the alpha who gave her a dismissive wave before finally deciding to leave.

~*~

“That guy just now was checking you out.” 

“Mm?” Dick questioned as he placed his drink on the table and slid into the red-tinted booth, seeing Tim do the same. 

“Over there. The cashier.” He motioned to the guy with a bright red half cap, who was unreservedly looking their way. When their eyes connected, the man hastily glanced away, seeming to awkwardly scratch the back of his head.

“He’s not my type,” Dick said simply as he hit the straw against the table, popping the paper open from the top.

“That’s the only thing you have to say about this? Don’t you see what the problem is?” Tim expressed his confusion with a squint.

“What else is there to say?” The omega asked before taking a sip of his orange soda. “Even if he was my type, I definitely wouldn’t do anything because I’m already mated.”

“That’s the problem I was getting at. It’s obvious that he knows that too.”

“Okay, Tim,” Dick leaned back against his seat. “How would he know that? I mean, I am wearing a collar so he can’t even smell if I’m mated or not anyways.”

Tim sighed loudly and gestured toward the TV, hanging on the back wall. Dick turned around, eyes widening at the screen which just so happened to be showing a clip of him and Bruce at the gala. Dick instantly turned to look out the window, using one hand to block the other side of his face. 

“Fuck, I keep forgetting that everyone knows me now.”

“And yet, you somehow got a tattoo and nipple piercings in a public shop.”

Dick quickly shushed him. “The people who did it never outright just said, ‘ _Hey, you’re mated to one of the richest men in the world right now,_ ’ like it was something to have a casual conversation about. So, of course, I forgot since no one mentioned it.”

Tim couldn’t help but smile at Dick’s bewilderment. “You’re right, people stare sometimes but they usually don’t say anything and keep to themselves,” Tim advised him like it was supposed to be a known fact. “And since everyone knows you’re Bruce’s mate now, it made me wonder why that cashier thought it was a good idea to check out your ass.”

Still hiding behind his hand, Dick looked at Tim. “Is it safe to say that I’m used to that happening since _way_ before I met Bruce?”

“You better hope it doesn’t happen when Bruce is around then.” Tim mused before looking over his shoulder then he snorted. “Look who’s coming this way.” 

“Tim, you better be joking right now.” 

_He wasn’t._

Dick was forced to look up when the same cashier stood at the head of their table with a coy smile. He didn’t have to look down at the table to see the alpha slipping him a piece of paper. It was all wince-worthy and Dick’s half-smile was so close to lapsing into an unpleasant leer when it happened. 

“Um… sorry, ” Dick glanced down at his name tag. “...Frank but you do know that I’m mated, right?” 

“Don’t worry sweetheart, I’m well aware of that.” He winked and Dick resisted the urge to cringe. Frank gave Dick one last smirk before thankfully, walking away and into the ‘employees only’ door. 

Tim tapped his fingers on the table and hummed with a smug look. “I commend him for being that brave.”

“Ugh,” Dick switched back to his prior position- hiding one side of his face. “I can’t believe that just happened.”

“Bruce won’t believe it either.” Tim motioned toward the tiny piece of paper.

“Don’t even _think_ about telling him.” Dick quickly grabbed the paper and tore it apart, placing the pieces on the window seal. He didn’t really feel like dealing with Bruce's antics right now since they weren’t talking. On the other hand, he actually wouldn’t mind seeing his alpha being angered by this, at least then he’d feel somewhat cared for...

Luckily for them, when it came time for their pizza to be served, it was brought out by another server. In fact, Frank seemed to have disappeared completely and Dick had never been happier for anything at the moment.

“Have you ever tried Hawaiian pizza before?” Tim asked.

Dick shook his head, causing Tim to slide the tray over, wanting the omega to take a slice. Dick readily nabbed a piece with oversized pineapple chunks and cheese dripping over the brim before taking a bite. 

“How is it?” Tim gladly observed the omega’s reaction. 

Dick squinted his eyes, savoring the taste of pineapples, cheese, Canadian bacon, and pizza sauce. “It’s… alright, I guess.” 

With a huff, Tim slumped back against the booth seat. “Great. Now I’m _really_ the only one in the house that likes pineapple pizza.”

“Aw, don’t be sad, Tim. I’m sure you'll find someone who likes this weird… tasting… type of… pizza?"

"Stop teasing me." Tim pouted.

Dick’s face crinkled in laughter as Tim dragged the pan of pizza to his side of the table. “I'll just stick with the pepperoni for now."

Tim shrugged. “More for me then.”

“So,” Dick started as he pulled a pepperoni slice from the circle. “You said that Bruce went into the office on a Sunday?”

Tim looked up mid-bite, raising one palm in an ‘I don’t know’ gesture. 

Dick ate a slice, contemplating what his mate could be doing as of this moment. “I mean, it doesn’t make sense. He always jumps at the chance to have a day off.”

“That’s when you two weren’t fighting.” Tim snidely remarked, quickly taking back what he said when Dick gave him a stern look. “Or maybe he just wanted to get away from the house for a while. Like the same thing you’ve been doing.”

Dick peered at the teenager, an eyebrow raised in uncertainty. “Where would he go, Tim?”

“To see uncle Harvey, maybe?” Tim shrugged.

Dick scoffed. “I highly doubt that.”

“Dick,” Tim sighed. “You’re thinking too much about this. I’m pretty sure he just went for a drive or something- to clear his head.”

“Well, I guess I’ll never know because Bruce does have a tendency to hide things.” Dick propped an elbow on the table and looked out the window. “You know what? He wasn’t even the one who told me about Selina to begin with.”

“I kind of figured that,” Tim spoke between bites. “Mostly because the timing was off. Whose idea was it to tell you at a party?”

“Her name was Holly... something.” Dick didn’t care enough to remember her last name.

“Robinson?” Tim quickly finished.

“Yeah, her. She was a part of the clan, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t really know her that well.” Tim frowned in wonder. “She was only around when Selina was--which wasn’t that much--and she never really said a lot. She was very quiet.”

“That’s not how she acted at the party.” Dick retorted. “That night, she talked her ass off. I think she told me about Selina just to spite me because she was Selina’s best friend.” 

“Probably so.” Tim agreed. “Did you tell Bruce you talked to her?"

"No, I haven't gotten the chance to." More like he just didn’t want to talk to Bruce at all.

"Maybe you can tell him after you tell him you're pregnant- to see what he has to say about it?" Tim offered an idea but Dick was still hesitant to talk about any of those things with Bruce.

"What do you think he'll say?" Dick questioned.

"Mm, he'll probably be suspicious. Out of everyone else in the group, she blamed Bruce the most for Selina’s death."

Blamed Bruce? Dick remembered Bruce saying he blamed himself as well and how he regretted letting Selina join the clan. But that shouldn’t be the case. A person’s individual actions were their own fault, at least… that's what Dick’s been taught.

"What happened to Selina?" Dick asked after blindsiding himself from one of Slade's teachings. Sometimes he unconsciously found himself thinking back on them and he tried to understand why he ever thought they made sense.

“Bruce didn’t tell you?"

"No.” After their argument, Dick didn’t want to hear anything about Selina. Bruce missed being with Selina and it was a feeling that Dick would rather not experience again. “Would you mind telling me?"

Tim glanced around the crowded pizza restaurant, telling Dick that they should get a to-go box and head back to the car. Dick agreed, now becoming a little nervous about hearing the story because of Tim’s need for privacy. They made it to the car parked on the side of the building in record time before the rain started

“Good thing we put the hood up before we went inside.”

“I almost forgot we’re trying to keep Bruce from finding out we took one of his sports cars,” Dick commented.

“Yeah, um… I hope you’re not planning on eating that in the car.” Tim gestured to the already half-opened pizza box.

Dick gave a bashful laugh. “I won’t waste any crumbs- promise.”

Tim nodded and settled back against the car seat. He let out a soft breath, maintaining eye contact with the weary-looking omega before starting. “I don’t know all the details about what happened because I was eleven years old then and no one wanted to tell me anything. But eventually, Alfred let us in on just a little bit a few months afterward…”

DS wasn’t always the only clan that has been trying to kill Bruce. A group connected to one of the drug rings Bruce’s great-grandfather controlled, became a little greedy, and attempted to perform embezzlement. Try as they may, they were soon snuffed out and quickly shut down. All the years of hard-earned money they made, even before the embezzlement happened, was taken away, leaving them homeless and poor- together with their families. They laid low for a while and along with Bruce’s great grandfather, the original members of the drug ring died of old age leaving nothing of wealth for their families. It’s hard to escape from poverty once someone is so far in, though some have tried, not all have been able to accomplish it. 

Unfortunately, as drug rings go, it’s hard to remove a family from that especially if the rules have been taught from generation to generation. When the families found out that Bruce’s grandfather donated some of they’re well-deserved drug money to an already wealthy researcher, they retaliated. They were a small group and practically nonexistent in terms of members but they went by the name Risen. They took to sabotaging Surge Enterprises by killing employees and threatening to destroy their labs. The Dark Knight clan helped to protect them in the best way that they could for decades all the way until Bruce’s reign. 

“A generational revenge. That’s what Alfred called it.” Tim mentioned, eyes growing serious.

Dick remained inquisitive and a little confused but nonetheless aware of where this was leading too. 

Selina’s death was caused by her association with Surge Enterprises and the Dark Knight clan. Once Selina joined the clan, she caught wind of everything that had been going on. She was smart and knew immediately that the only way Risen knew about Surge Enterprises company secrets and the Dark Knight’s plans of attack was because there was a spy working amongst them. Selina wanted to put an end to their little war and sought to find out who was working as a spy. 

So she moved on her own, working off some leaked information she found without Bruce's knowledge. He didn't know until after she found the whereabouts of Risen’s hideout; it was a warehouse full of them. While there, she contacted the Dark Knight members and told them where she was. Everyone headed there together but when they got there… 

“It was like… a massacre. There was blood and bodies everywhere… and… ” Tim paused, brows pulled together in hesitation. “...Selina's body was crushed by debris and her chest looked like it had been stabbed through by a sword.”

Dick had long since closed the pizza box and placed it on the dashboard, for it had become too hard to swallow. Hearing about Selina’s death made the air uneasy around them. Dick sat there for a while listening to the rain beat down on the car as he came up with a heap of questions.

“So…” Dick faltered. “Risen, they’re not after Bruce anymore? There was no one left over?”

Tim shook his head. “No, there's no one else left, not after that bloodbath. Instead, DS assassins started coming after Bruce.”

“Just him and not Surge Enterprises?”

Tim cast him a speculative gaze. “You should know more about that than I do.”

They both knew that Dick was tasked with Killing Bruce Wayne without any explanation. And not once during his years of being a DS assassin had he ever heard anyone mention Surge Enterprises. Dick guessed that it took out the possibility of DS working with Risen but still. If only Dick knew why exactly Slade sent him after Bruce then he could piece some things together.

“Did they ever find out who the Risen spy was?” Dick asked, growing a little more anxious to find an answer. 

“No, they didn’t. Everyone assumed they got killed along with the others but I’m not so sure. And It’s not like Bruce let anyone else help out in his search for the murderer anyway… Everything changed after she died.” Tim idly played with the cuff of his sleeve as he continued. “He was so angry, sad, helpless… No one could say anything to him anymore…” Tim looked up at Dick. “I think that's why Bruce is so protective of you because of what happened to Selina. He wants you to stay safe from any harm." 

"He wants me to be kept.” Dick scoffed and peered out the windshield. “That's different from protecting me. He would rather have me stay at home, bear his children, and cook his dinner for the rest of my life if he could."

"Probably not the ‘cook his dinner thing’…” Tim squinted his eyes. “I mean, it doesn’t even look like you can cook."

"Tim." Dick gave him a look.

"I'm just saying,” Tim uttered in that same voice he used when he played innocent. 

Dick tried not to roll his eyes and in place, massaged his temple. He still couldn’t wrap his head around who was it that massacred the entire Risen group? Especially if the Dark Knight was their only enemy. And they weren’t connected to DS either because they’ve never worked with another group before. If they did, then Dick would have known. The more he thought about everything, the less sense it made. Something just wasn’t adding up.

“It’s already seven-thirty and I’m not sure what time Bruce is going to be back.” Tim distracted Dick from his thoughts by starting up the car. “We should hurry and go home.”

Dick agreed with a nod and slumped back against the seat, putting his seatbelt on.

“Sorry I couldn’t tell you everything,” Tim muttered as he backed out of the parking lot. “It’s best if you ask Bruce about it. There’s no way he’s going to keep any secrets away from you now.”

Dick laughed softly at that as he begrudgingly recalled Bruce's dilemma. Bruce having to see his lover's dead body must have been a painful experience. The alpha couldn’t even talk about it that night they were arguing. Admittedly, Dick’s feelings reflected Bruce’s own, for he would never forget seeing his parent’s lifeless bodies on the dusty ground. They were like grass blanketed by ice, unmoving, limbs positioned into unnatural angles and heads fixed in such a way that it could no longer be considered as resting.

The omega understood the feeling backward and forwards. He knew Bruce was still hurting and that mourning is different for everyone. But at the same time, Bruce had undermined the trust between them, causing Dick to feel broken and betrayed. His alpha’s grieving essentially held Selina on a pedestal that nobody else could live up to. _Not even Dick._ They’ve known each other for so many years; they’ve had so much history together and Dick didn’t know where he could fit into that. _Did he even want to? To fill in the void that Selina created?_ Even if he did, he won’t be able to heal Bruce’s wound completely… that scar would never disappear. Love doesn't stop just because someone's dead. It continues. And to Dick, that meant rendering him invisible. 

And Dick knew he shouldn’t think this, he _seriously shouldn’t_ but he couldn’t help but to hate Selina for it. If only he were the one to have met Bruce first then none of this would have happened. Bruce would have been utterly and completely his like it was meant to be...


	23. Can't win for losing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank everyone again for all the kudos, hits, and wonderful comments! ❤️❤️
> 
> You guys are awesome!

As awkward situations go, Dick had experienced quite a few in his lifetime but none of them would be on par with the current predicament. A habit he picked up over the past month was waiting until Bruce went to work to go downstairs. He’d usually be able to sense when the alpha left the house but as of late, that had been hard to do. Along with his constant puking, his senses had been disoriented, fuzzy, and outright nonexistent. Dick couldn’t determine whether it was his oncoming five-week pregnancy or the prolonged separation between him and Bruce. It was probably both but either way, it was too grievous to bear. Even more so when Dick happened upon Tim and Bruce eating a very late breakfast. He casually strolled by them and went to go grab a plate of food from the kitchen. With a subconscious certainly, Dick stuffed his plate with various foods--doubling down on the pancakes-- before walking back into the dining room and sitting next to Tim. Merciful to Dick’s disinclination to talk to his alpha, not once did Tim or Bruce pause the conversation to acknowledge him. The omega was grateful for that at least and gladly listened in on the discussion about Tim’s university choices.

“I was thinking about going out of state mostly because I have a lot of offers for a full ride.”

Dick chewed on a piece of bacon, already picturing the most cliché and esteemed universities offering Tim an endorsement, rather than him applying for them himself. Sounds crazy but then again, Tim was crazy smart. He could do without the scholarships though, being a billionaire's son and all. Bruce could probably pay for more than enough kids to go to college.

“For my Masters or Ph.D., I was thinking maybe somewhere like Oxford or Cambridge-”

“Wait, out of the country?” Dick unexpectedly piped in, calling two sets of eyes to look his way.

“Obviously,” Tim replied more with his shoulders than anything else. “I’m only sixteen. I have a lot of time to get more than one degree and I want to do more than just stay here for four years. Why are you so shocked by that?”

“Oh… well,” Dick looked back down at his plate, feeling another wave of awkwardness settle in. “I didn’t know you cared about going to school that much.”

“It’s just something extra to do, really,” Tim answered in much of the same dismissive tone. “Plus, Bruce wants me to have an education so it’s not like I have a choice.”

“That’s right, you need your education. Who else would take over my company when I’m dead?” Bruce easily mused.

“The only person who would do a much better job of running it than you.” Tim retorted, causing Dick to snort.

“I think that’s going a little too far,” Bruce complained lightly.

Tim shrugged. “I’m just saying.” 

It was so like Tim to be able to change the mood within a matter of seconds. Granted, in the past, that usually meant judging Dick and overstepping his limits with unneeded questions (it still happens till this day) but now his usual taunts were more endearing. 

The conversation continued on normally and to Dick’s dismay, he found out that Bruce had taken the week off. In truth, it wasn't a bad thing. He wouldn’t admit it out loud but it was actually the best feeling in the world to be sitting close to Bruce. The last time they were this close, they had an argument about Dick leaving the house alone. Although he didn’t take too kindly to being held prisoner, Dick couldn’t really blame Bruce for being worried. In actuality, the omega should be more worried but he couldn’t help it. He’s never gotten to do things on his own for most of his life and when he got the chance to do so, he went for it. Mainly because he wanted to get away from the house but at this point, he was pushing it.

Ever since Dick was a child, he’d been known for holding grudges. His parents would always say he was a sweet, obedient, and loving child. But in the same breath, they’d say that Dick could hold a grudge even in the afterlife. This much, he knew was true. Dick was willing to bet he could go another week without talking to Bruce except then he would be lying to himself. He was already suffering enough from the lack of contact and so was Bruce. 

The alpha had been enduring the pain by holding back and accepting everything Dick had done up until now. Whether it’d be not talking to him or letting Dick leave the house to go see Wally, he hasn’t mentioned it in a while. Bruce had been giving Dick all the space he wanted and as a result, it was tearing them apart.

At the end of the day, Dick was just afraid to talk to Bruce about Selina. He dreaded hearing her name come from Bruce’s mouth. There was an unspoken sentiment there when it was said and it burned the omega to hear it; to feel how much Bruce cherished her… 

Before dread could consume him, Dick shoved those thoughts away and went back to senselessly stuffing himself. After he finished his plate, he got seconds, then thirds, and was unaware of the eyes following his every move.

“Jay!” Tim was up and out of the chair in a matter of seconds when Jason came barreling into the dining room with a suitcase wheeling behind him. He’d been gone since the beginning of this week after having been invited to stay at his friend's beach house for a little beginning of the summer vacation. Dick had been a bit startled by Tim’s response to the alpha walking into the room. He had a spring in his step and a smile when he went to greet his brother with a hug. 

“Tim,” Jason complained and attempted to push Tim away. “I’ve only been gone for six days.”

“Frankly, it feels like it’s been longer than that.” Bruce greeted his son.

“For me, it felt like the shortest week ever,” Jason said and gave Tim a quick pat on the back before successfully dislodging himself from the teenager’s hold.

“Sit down and have breakfast with us, I want to hear about your trip.” Bruce motioned to the chair next to him with a gentle smile.

Jason’s shoulders slumped. “Can we talk later? I’m so fucking tired right now.”

“You need some help?” Tim gestured towards Jason’s luggage and Dick thought that Tim was actually considerate when he wanted to be. He definitely wouldn’t be jumping at the chance to help his older brother carry luggage.

“No, I’m good.” Jason glanced past Tim and at Dick, his eyes were stagnant with scrutiny. “I heard you’re talking to us now.”

“Hello to you too, Jason,” Dick replied, giving him an awkward smile, seeing Bruce shift from his peripheral.

“Don’t be rude, Jason,” Bruce muttered as he stood up and gave the other alpha a pat on the shoulder. “Get some rest but be ready to talk later.” 

“Got it, B.” 

With that, the alpha left the room and Jason waited until he was far enough to start talking again. “And here I thought everything was finally good between you guys.”

“Jay, I told you they still weren’t talking.” Tim chided.

“Yeah, but that text was from three days ago. When I came in seeing them sitting together at the same table, my first thought was that all of this was over.” Jason crossed his arms and spoke as if Dick weren’t even in the room. 

Dick sighed and gave Jason his attention. “Listen, Jay, I’m sorry about ignoring _you_ for so long- you and Tim didn’t deserve that from me. I get that this is between just me and Bruce so you two don’t have to worry anymore.” He stated after guessing that Jason was probably irritated about being ignored as a consequence of Bruce’s mistake.

For a second, Jason stared at him before huffing dismissively. “Well as long as you look like that, I’ll forgive you and…” He averted his eyes. “I’m sorry about lying to you about that letter.”

“It’s fine. Don’t mention it.” Dick understood why Jason did it. Despite Tim and Jason feeling bad for Dick, they would always put Bruce’s feelings before his.

“So we’re good now?” Jason inquired.

“Better than ever.” 

“Good,” Jason nodded. “But I wasn’t lying about what I said before. You look horrible.”

“...I know.” Dick chuckled timidly, for he was very aware of how he looked. _Fucking depleted._ Bruce did as well. The omega sighed internally with discontent, already knowing that this couldn’t go on any longer.

“What’s that?” Tim asked, pulling Dick’s attention toward the large yellow envelope he just noticed was in Jason’s hand.

“It's the pictures we took at your graduation.” Jason handed Tim the envelope. “I promised Alfred I would get them printed. I’m late as hell but whatever. Enjoy.” He uttered halfheartedly before telling them he was going upstairs to sleep. 

Jason left and Tim hastily opened the envelope, sitting back down next to Dick. He spread the photos out on the table with giddy anticipation, gawking at himself in an all-black cap and gown. “You guys actually got some good pictures- wait, scratch that, I forgot Bruce hired a photographer.”

“Excessive as always,” Dick said even though he thought it was quite sweet.

“It’s a good thing though. Have you seen the way Bruce takes pictures with a cellphone?"

“Yeah, you’re right, they’re pretty bad.” Dick smiled when he thought back to looking through Bruce’s gallery. The pictures were mostly blurry and a little slanted at times but the omega found it lovable nonetheless.

“I can’t believe this happened almost two weeks ago,” Tim commented and Dick agreed as they sifted through the pile. 

“I’ve never noticed before but your hair is pretty long.” Dick regarded the photos where Tim put his hair in a ponytail when it got too hot from taking pictures outside.

“Well, Jas-” Tim faltered. “I like it this long.” 

Dick didn’t even have time to question further before Tim was holding up another picture. “Oh, look at this one.”

Dick peered at the big picture that featured the whole family, _including him_. 

On the day of the graduation, he remembered being woken up by Alfred, and to be honest, Dick hadn’t expected to be… invited. It was a family event after all. But there he was, riding in the same car with everyone, silently seething for having to be in Bruce’s presence. Apart from that, it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. Dick had never been to a graduation before and was surprised by the elated atmosphere. 

When it came time to take pictures, Dick mostly stood off to the side with Bruce’s words echoing through his mind. _You and my family…_ But Alfred, similar to that morning, forcibly brought him over to take one last picture before they went back to the Manor. In spite of everything going on, it was Tim’s big day so he didn’t want to be rude. And in the picture, he’d been standing next to Alfred with an almost genuine smile on his face. It was a nice photo, to say the least.

“We should get this one framed and put it in the family room.” Tim sat the picture further away from the others.

Dick smiled as his mood lifted exponentially and warmth filled his chest. Tim hadn’t realized how he made the omega feel at that moment but he would make his appreciation known.

Tim gasped when he was abruptly pulled to the side, feeling Dick’s cheek against his in a hug that was rarely given between the two. “Dick, what are you doing!?” He protested but didn’t try to move away.

“Is weird to say that you’re my favorite person right now?”

“Huh?” Tim, to put it mildly, was perplexed, just not as much as he thought he’d be. He felt magically calm, serene, and something sweet… there was a sweet smell…?

Dick pulled away, leaving Tim listless as he spoke. “I’m actually surprised I look normal in that picture and not like a zombie.” He looked over at the teenager, expecting him to agree, only to see Tim idly rubbing his cheek. “What’s up with you?”

Tim blinked and looked over at him, his face flushed red. 

“You okay?”

“Um… yeah,” Tim answered softly with a small frown.

“You look like you have a fever.” Having grown worried, Dick placed the back of his hand on Tim’s forehead, expecting him to feel hot but his temperature seemed just fine. 

“Stop worrying. I’m okay.” Tim pushed Dick’s hand away.

“Oh, I see what the problem is now,” Dick smirked. “You’re blushing because I hugged you.” He teased, watching Tim scowl.

“That’s not it.” He claimed and yelped when Dick pulled him into another hug. “Let go of me!”

“But your cheek is so soft.” The omega made fun.

“Dick! Stop!” After some struggle, Tim yanked himself back and scooted his chair further away. “Stop messing with me.”

Dick laughed loudly. “Now I see why Jason likes to tease you- it’s because you’re so cute.”

Tim cringed.

“Can I have another hug?” Dick opened his arms.

"Ugh, when did you start becoming all mushy?"

"I’m not _that_ mushy." Dick defended himself but continued to taunt Tim. “But I do want to give you another hug.”

“Touch me and I’ll kill you…” Tim threatened before gathering his pictures and leaving the room. Dick laughed at his playful buffoonery. It was immature and childish but the happiness from Tim’s acceptance caused his spirits to soar. He’s always wanted a younger brother and just a family in general. Especially after his own had died. The thought of being accepted was freeing to him. It liberated him from his dark past in a way no one would understand. And here was just something about Tim that brought about a steady amount of happiness even when he wasn’t trying to. Like the unseeable allure, Dick was naturally drawn to him- more now than ever. _Strange_ … but it was no less welcome. As long as his misery sought the company of someone who made him feel… sufficient, he would keep gravitating towards that.

~*~

For all the months' Dick has lived here, he didn’t know any of Tim’s mannerisms, likes, and dislikes because they weren’t on good terms. Now that they were, the omega has picked up on a lot of things. He knows that Tim hates doing laundry, hates cleaning his room, gets annoyed easily, falls asleep fast, spends most of his time on the computer, and the list goes on and on. Then there were those rare moments when Tim wasn’t complaining and grew unbelievably quiet. Intriguingly enough, during those times when Tim thought no one was looking, he would be staring at… Jason.

Just like now, when Dick was texting Wally and just so happened to glance up, seeing Tim look off to the side. Dick followed his line of sight to the only other person in the room.

Jason was landing hits on a punching bag in a practiced array of motions that even Dick found impressive. It seemed as if the omega wasn’t the only one though, only his admiration was regarded in a different way. Dick didn’t want to decipher Tim’s facial expression nor was he going to attempt to. But if he were to, he would say that Tim’s “admiration” seemed to be overshadowed by… something else.

Eventually, Tim looked away when Jason’s cell phone vibrated on the table next to his keyboard. “Jay, your phone,” He called with little enthusiasm and went back to typing. Soon Jason was jogging over, panting a bit as he picked up his cellphone.

A smile graced the alpha’s lips, followed by a series of texts that had him sitting down in a seat next to Dick. This caused the omega to lift a brow in question. “I wonder who’s got you smiling at your phone _like that_?”

Jason peered his way. “I’ve been meaning to tell you this since that whole letter thing but you’re nosy as hell.”

Dick placed a hand on his chest, speaking with a mocking tone. “That’s one of my many faults.”

“It’s one of your _worst_ faults.”

“Let's get back to the text, okay?” Dick said with a condescending smile. “Tell me who it is?”

Jason’s smirk widened. “It’s a girl… an omega I met at the beach.”

All typing from Tim’s keyboard stopped.

“Oh?” A quick elevation of Dick’s eyebrows showed his interest. “An omega this time?”

“What do you mean this time-” Jason stopped short, releasing a sigh. “I’m guessing you pried your way into knowing about my past relationships too.”

Dick nodded matter of factly. “Alfie is really good at my answering questions.”

“Of course he is but as far as I’m concerned, there is no _this time_ or that _time_. I like who I like without all the extra dynamic bullshit.” Jason’s eyes gleamed as he rubbed his chin. “But if we’re talking about scents then I do prefer omegas. No other dynamic can beat that.”

“Alphas,” Dick muttered as he gave the word a double meaning. _They were all fools when it came to omegas._

“Hey, you asked. It’s not like I can control what I like.”

“Can we talk about something else?”

Dick and Jason looked over at Tim whose annoyance was seeping through his gaze.

“Does our conversation bother you that much, Timmy?”

“I told you to stop calling me that.”

Jason’s smile faded. “I don’t see what the problem is?”

“I just don’t want to hear about any of that stuff right now.”

Jason scoffed. “How about you stop being pissed off about everything all the time?”

“Don’t start fighting now, guys.” Dick jumped in.

“Forget it.” Tim shoved the keyboard forward. “Talk about it all you want. I’m leaving.” With a frown, he trudged toward the elevator, leaving them alone.

The alpha shook his head. “Every time I talk about dynamics and scents, that's how he reacts.”

“Are you sure that’s why he’s mad?”

“Yeah, and it’s been going on for too long.” Jason stood up, placing his cellphone on the table. “I try to give him the benefit of the doubt because of his situation but it gets tiring after a while when I have to watch what I say around him.”

Dick understood where he was coming from but at the same time, he felt compelled to follow after Tim. It _was_ Tim who cheered him up at one of his lowest points so Dick wanted to return the favor if only to keep a stable relationship.

“I’m gonna go and talk to him.” Dick rose from the chair.

“You’re gonna go talk to him?” Jason was a bit astonished when Dick nodded. “When the hell did you two get so close?”

“We’re not _that_ close.” Dick smiled, taking steps backward toward the elevator. “We just understand each other a bit better now.”

“I’ve gotta say, I never expected that to happen anytime soon.”

Dick shrugged. “Well, it did.” _And he was happy about it._ “Let’s talk later Jay.” The omega gave his parting words and went upstairs.

The thing about big houses was that no one really knew where anyone might be. Despite there being an ancient servant comm system in every room of the house, no one used it anymore. And by no means was Tim going to answer it if they were working nor was he going to reply to a quick text if he was _that_ angry. Therefore, Dick had to search around a bit. Minutes later Dick was knocking on Tim’s bedroom door, opened it, and found no one in sight. Then he went back downstairs to check the kitchen, then the dining room, then the family room, then the music room, then down the hallway leading to the entertainment room. 

While turning a corner, Dick bumped into someone. A big and strong, warm and sturdy, all too familiar chest. He slowly glanced up and silence crashed down around him. He was suddenly struck anew by Bruce’s good looks. The alpha looked undoubtedly tired and worn out but no amount of exhaustion could get rid of that scent. The same scent he’d smelled all around the house and now that it was up-close, there was something unnerving about it. Calling to him; drawing him forward. As if no other breath of fresh air mattered if it wasn’t this particular scent. A fragrance so intoxicating, electrifying, Dick had to wonder how he went without it for so long. Its familiarity took him back to a place he’d been thinking about more often than not. 

_Bruce’s bed._

In this regard, it was less of a memory and more of a requirement; an instinctive need that had been bothering him since the very beginning. No matter the distance or how mad he was or betrayed he felt nothing… _nothing_ could destroy this necessitous feeling. And Dick gladly sucked in the aroma, his fingers slowly curling into the soft fabric of Bruce’s shirt to keep him close; subsequently, feeling his senses suddenly enhance. It could hardly even compare to what he’d been able to feel before but it was enough; Dick could sense his mate's feelings again. Now he could see things clear as day- Bruce’s confusion, desire, longing, and… _guilt._

Dick suddenly moved away, coming back to his senses.

“Dick?” Bruce questioned, sounding like he wanted to take a step closer.

“Have you…” The omega averted his eyes, looking at the wall next to him. “Did you see where Tim went?” 

“...He’s in the backyard.”

Dick expressed his thanks with a simple nod before quickly slipping past the alpha, his steps becoming heavier the further away he got. His omega silently reprimanded him, trying to persuade him to turn around, to run into his alpha’s arms but Dick wouldn’t let himself be influenced by his instinct. 

_That’s all it was… instinct_

Dick soon reached the back door and was walking outside under the evening sky. The winds blew a bang to one side of his face and he moved it back in place, briefly catching sight of Tim sitting on a bench past a vine-covered arbor. Dick’s footsteps laid down a steady beat, as he hiked across the long garden walkway, worry swirling through his gut. _What could have set Tim off? The talk about scents sounded plausible enough but to be angry every time Jason mentioned it? And only Jason in particular._

Dick had a knack for assuming things and when he did, he was usually called out for overthinking. So because of that, he wasn’t going to assume anything even though all the signs were right there. 

Dick was greeted by another gust of humid wind as he approached the bench. The strange weather caused him to glimpse up at the sky, seeing dark clouds rolling in from a distance. 

“Why’d you come after me?” Tim’s soft voice distracted him from the looks of an oncoming storm.

“I wanted to make sure everything was okay.” Dick neared the empty spot next to Tim. “Are you okay?”

“What does it look like to you?” Tim turned to him with puffy red eyes.

By now, Dick was used to Tim having a defensive attitude and sat down next to him without thinking twice about it.

“Wanna tell me what's wrong?” The omega said calmly, wanting to send the teenager comforting pheromones; unfortunately, that was impossible. “Talk to me. Was it something Jason said?”

Tim didn’t answer at first and Dick waited patiently, no longer urging him to speak. When he finally did, the words came out shaky and fearful. “In a month… if I don’t present with a dynamic, I’m going to be stuck like this forever.” Tim sniffled and Dick’s heart clenched. “I’m not going to have a mate or have a connection to anyone pheromone wise… _I won't have anything.”_

“Tim,” Dick placed a careful hand on the teenager's back and began rubbing small circles. Then he leaned forward, trying to look into Tim’s eyes. “Everything’s going to be okay even if you don’t present. And I’m sure someone out there will lik-”

“When have you ever heard of someone dating a rare defect?” Tim begged for an answer but Dick didn’t have one. “Why would they want to when we can’t even… make children.”

Dick took a deep shuddering breath. He wished he could tell Tim he was wrong but everyone knew, as rare as defects were, they were all infertile. It was the last thing anyone wanted to mention when talking about a defect.

“Tim… believe me when I say that-” Dick stammered, not wanting to get Tim’s hopes up. “In the future, you’ll meet-”

“No, I won’t…” Tim cut him off. “I know I won’t. Not even the person I like looks my way.” Tim rubbed at his eyes once again before looking over at Dick. “I would give anything to have what you have.”

Dick was at a loss for words. _What could he say?_ He knew Tim was troubled by this but on the surface he made it seem like he’d already accepted it. 

“And now look at you.” Tim began. “You’re sitting here letting you and Bruce’s connection go to waste. As if it wasn’t important.” 

Dick flinched and stopped caressing Tim’s back. “...You wouldn’t understand.”

“I get it, he lied to you and I know that it was wrong. But both of you shouldn’t have to suffer like this because of that and…” He stalled, his shoulders staggering with troubled emotion. “...to me it looks like you’re taking your bond for granted…”

“No, it’s not like that, Tim. I just…” Dick glanced away, pain gripping his chest. “I just need some time to work through things on my own.”

“I know that, but I can’t stop belittling you for it. And when I do, I can’t help but remember what you said about being an omega and how it puts you at risk of being ordered around by an alpha.” Tim looked down, trembling as his vision blurred. “Still… I just want to experience what it's like to have a mate. I want to experience the instinct that draws you two together. I’d be so happy if I could just get _one ounce_ of that feeling.” He whispered the last phrase and Dick couldn’t resist the urge to pull Tim close to his side.

Dick racked a soft hand through the teenager's hair as sadness crumbled through his soul. He wanted to help Tim, his little brother; he wanted to make him feel better but this was something he didn’t know how to fix- not without pheromones. 

It was at that moment that Dick realized how much Alphas, Betas, and Omegas depended on pheromones. Or that unseeable pull that Dick had been so adamant on ignoring. An instinct that dragged a person along its pace without them ever knowing why it's happening. An innate need that called forth feelings no one understood but they couldn’t help to accept it. In defiance of that testament, Dick was determined to make Tim feel any semblance of comfort he could offer.

“Look at me, Tim.” Dick pulled away, watching Tim peer up at him. “I wish I could take away your pain but I can’t. I’m so sorry you have to go through this and it isn't right for everyone else's ideals to make you feel worthless. But you have to believe that you’re way more than what anyone's dynamic has to offer.”

Dick couldn’t take away all of Tim’s sadness but if there’s one thing he could do, it was to make sure that Tim wasn’t barren of all the other good feelings. 

“And even if you don’t present, you’ll always have us. We don’t think of you any differently and I know that there are people out there who think the same. So I promise you that there is someone out there who will love you even without a dynamic… I mean… there are 7 billion people in the world right now.” Dick smiled sheepishly as he brushed a piece of Tim’s hair away from his eyes. “Maybe you can ask Bruce to fly you around the world then back. It’ll probably take several months though.”

Tim cracked a tiny smile before wiping at his moist eyes. “You know how many languages I’d have to learn?”

“Ah, right… nevermind what I said. It was a horrible idea.”

“You really don’t know how to keep things serious, do you?” Tim lightly moved Dick’s hand away from his forehead, trying to control his smile.

“I was being serious though. And I know I’m not in any position to be giving you advice but I just wanted you to know that I’m here for you.” Dick eyed Tim and simpered brightly. “For what it’s worth, I think I deserve a hug now?”

“Why?” Tim huffed at the nuisance of Dick’s persistence.

“You complain about hugging me and yet you hug Jason like it’s nothing.”

“Fine, if it’ll get you to shut up, I’ll do it.”

Dick tried to stifle a laugh when Tim hugged him with obvious irritation. That didn’t stop Dick from squeezing him tighter. Tim was warm- a little too warm and somehow it reminded him of his mom. She too had a calm serene sort of… aura around her that drew him close. It was especially noticeable after he presented as an omega, for only omegas could give each other a certain type of solace that no alphas could provide.

Dick found himself progressively drowsing, hearing Tim mumble something just when another burst of wind came breezing through the garden.

“Mm? What’d you say?” Dick questioned, getting nothing in response except for the sound of thunder rumbling across the sky, effectively pulling them apart.

Dick blinked, taking notice of Tim quickly standing up and looking heavenward. “I said it’s starting to sprinkle so we better get inside.”

Dick just now felt warm water hitting his skin, gradually growing into bigger drops. Swiftly standing up, Dick followed Tim back into the Manor.

“I swear it’s been raining a lot lately,” Tim said, running a hand through his damp hair.

Dick closed the door behind him. “It’s probably a sign.”

“A sign for what?”

“My mom used to tell me that constant rain represented new beginnings or that a long time wish is about to be fulfilled.”

Tim smirked. “Well, I’ve always wished for a younger sibling. Maybe I’ll finally get one since you’re pre--.”

Tim’s back was suddenly against Dick’s chest as his comment was muffled by a warm palm covering his mouth. That’s when Tim heard footsteps drawing near and in no time, Bruce and Jason came around the corner with matching black rain jackets. Upon seeing them, the alphas stopped with their brows furrowed in confusion.

“What the hell are you guys doing?”

Dick averted his eyes, feeling Tim tug down his hand because of course, he couldn’t resist answering Jason’s question.

“W-we were…” Tim stuttered. “We were just messing around.” He finished, watching Jason fold his arms before asking, “Where are you guys going?”

“Out.” Was all Jason said, leaving the room open to many unanswered questions.

“Well, I guess we’ve all got secrets then. Some more than others.” The remark that slipped from Tim’s mouth made Bruce speak up.

“Tim, I’m not hiding anything we’re just…” He faltered, eventually going quiet as he glanced at Dick.

“You’re just what?” Tim asked innocently, growing more interested.

Bruce sighed. “I can't tell you about it now but… we’ll be back later on and… ”

Dick scoffed, his mind churning with assumptions and with the fact that Bruce was still keeping secrets. At this point, the omega was being a hypocrite but he didn’t care. _He didn’t owe the alpha anything._ With that in mind _,_ Dick ambled his way toward the door, brushing by Bruce and Jason as he exited the room.

"Dick, wait, I…" Bruce immediately gave up, leaning into the fact that an explanation was useless. 

“Sorry about that, Bruce,” Tim murmured as he watched Dick leave. 

"Next time keep your big mouth shut, Timmy." 

"As if you're one to talk," Tim uttered as he slipped by them and went after Dick.

Bruce sighed again, forcing Jason to break the silence. “So… I’m thinking we should just save our little trip to the dealership for tomorrow? It’s raining anyway.” The rain wasn't really an excuse. They were headed to a luxury dealership that had the cars Bruce was looking at for Tim’s birthday, on the inside.

“We’ll go tomorrow morning.” Bruce put emphasis on the word morning, knowing that Dick slept later than anyone else in the house. 

“Don’t worry about it, B. Just send him a quick text and explain everything.”

Bruce’s eyes filled with uncertainty. “That sounds like a great idea but at the start of this week, I think he blocked me.”

Jason hissed through his teeth. “Tough luck.”

“Tough luck indeed.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll send him a text for you,” Jason said as he pulled out his cellphone.

Bruce sighed in relief but he didn't think that would help his case. “Thank you.”

From what Jason could see, Dick really didn’t trust Bruce at all. But at least Jason had essentially been taught a lesson because of this whole situation and that was, telling the truth fucking hurts but so does telling lies. It was a lose-lose situation but it was apparent that the person who told the truth, always came out on top.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter Bruce and Dick will finally talk.


	24. All Cards are on the Table

**Gotham**

**Location: Promenade**

**Time: 15:09 P.m.**

**Status: Omega 21365 [Located]**

“Watch where you’re going.” A voice said as politely as they could.

“Sorry about that-” The alpha paused briefly, staring at the most talked about omega in Gotham to date. Richard Grayson. 

“It’s fine. Just pay attention next time and maybe...”

The alpha zoned out, eyes naturally drawn to Richard’s mouth, quickly glancing at his blue eyes, taking in all the minor details that the video clips couldn’t capture. _And he was wearing a collar. Why was he wearing a collar?_

“Hey, you listening?” Richard tilted his head, brow creased slightly.

“What’d you say?”

“I said that maybe it’s not such a good idea to be standing in the middle of a crowded promenade.” Richard’s eye’s searched for the alpha’s answer.

“My bad, you’re right I should watch it.” The alpha nervously scratched the back of his neck. “Still, I never expected to run into _you_ of all people.”

“Uh... yeah.” 

“My first thought was that an omega such as yourself, should not be walking around alone.” The alpha said bluntly, causing Richard to visibly scorn him. 

“Excuse me?”

“It’s like I said. You should be walking with your alpha.” Accordingly, the omega scoffed and ignored him before turning around, about to walk away. Unfortunately, Richard was stopped when the alpha grabbed his wrist. “I'm being serious here.” The alpha advised, watching Richard whip his head around.

“What the hell are you doing?” Richard tried to yank his wrist away but it wouldn’t budge. “Let go of me.” The omega urged before he suddenly stopped struggling, now looking over the alpha’s shoulder.

“I would watch where you put your hands.” A sudden presence was at the alpha’s side as well as something cool poking against his waist. “Let him go.”

The alpha let go and put his hands up. “It was simply a warning. Someone like you shouldn’t be out and about like this. Especially an omega as beautiful as yourself.”

“Maybe if you keep your eyes to yourself, you won’t have to worry about what he’s doing,” Jason warned, pressing closer to his side.

The alpha stood completely still, watching as Richard stared at his exposed left wrist. “Jason, let him go. He’s good.” 

Jason pulled back, the glint of his gun being hidden by the flap of his jacket.

Just when the alpha thought he’d been set free, there was a sudden strike at the back of his ankle, causing him to drop to a knee and hiss in pain.

“Oops, sorry, didn’t see you there.” Another person, Tim, he recognized was glaring at him as he brushed by.

“Sure you don’t want me to teach this guy a lesson?” Jason asked Richard while he sized him up.

“No, let's just go. Let asshole alpha’s like him figure it out for themselves.” Dick sneered before turning around with Tim and Jason following behind. 

_So, it wasn’t just a ploy; Richard seriously has a little pack now. A loyal one at that. This could cause trouble._ The alpha watched after the little group, seeing Tim point at something on his cellphone before they all sprinted off, disappearing into the crowd.

“Shit.” The alpha rubbed at his throbbing ankle before slowly standing up.

“Tiger.” The alpha looked over his shoulder to find Rose nearing his space. “Why were you kneeling?”

“A little brat kicked me and ran off.”

“Guess we both have a hard time dealing with little brats then.” As snide as the remark was, Rose was still aware of her responsibilities. “Cassandra, let's go.”

Tiger watched the little girl stand up from where she stopped to idly stare at the flowers and make her way to Rose’s side.

“You don’t have to yell at her like that you know.” 

“I’ve told you this before, she’s prone to not listening.”

Tiger disagreed, for he knew Cassandra was a great listener; it's just that the Wilson’s weren’t too keen on being patient.

“I think we’re finished with this little outing,” Rose said as she started forward with Tiger in tow.

“Speaking of outings, you wouldn’t believe who I just saw.” Tiger chuckled softly at the memory.

“I don’t care to know.” 

“Alright,” The alpha said slowly, “Since you’re going to act like that, I won’t tell you.”

“That’s not the first time I’ve been glad to hear you say that.” Rose retorted.

Tiger shrugged and felt Cass grab his hand when the crowd was at its densest, making him question... “I’ve been meaning to ask this for a while but why does your dad want Cass to go out on these little… outings?”

“Father thinks it’s good to experience things outside of the clan. Especially to a child as malleable as Cassandra.” They breached the threshold of the crowd and came upon a parking lot. “I was once in her position and so was Joey.”

“Sounds ridiculous, especially since Cass isn’t a normal alpha. Her scent draws a lot of attention, y’know.” He looked down at said girl, seeing the same expression she always wore- listless and dull. Similar to that of a doll.

“It’s not that much attention. People most likely think she’s newly presented and doesn’t know how to control her pheromones yet.”

Tiger would agree with Rose but Cass wasn’t at the age that a normal alpha would present. She was seven years old, three years too early for a regular alpha and omega to have presented and it shows. She was a small child and a little on the thin side but that wouldn’t pose a problem for her because of her rare dynamic. A Prime Alpha. A rare term that was practically a myth at this point. They were hard to come by; only being born from a family with a long generation of alpha pairs, for not one omega has breached the bloodline. They practically didn’t exist and yet, DS found one. To be more precise, Cassandra’s father sold her to the clan for a _very_ large sum of money. 

“If she could talk then that would cause a major problem,” Tiger commented.

“Then it’s a good thing she doesn’t.” Rose pulled out her car keys when the vehicle was in sight. 

“That would be a sight to see though. Her alpha order would affect anyone, even other alphas.” While Rose unlocked the car doors, Tiger imagined the prospect with a bit uneasiness. Having been used to throwing around alpha orders here and there, he would never want to experience one himself.

They stopped in front of the car.“I think I would like to see that as well.”

Once Cass was buckled up in the backseat, Tiger moved to the front, seeing Rose start up the car. “It makes me wonder what Prime Omegas are like.”

“If we compare their characteristics with a Prime Alpha, they’re probably... hard to control.” She turned the radio all the way down before backing out of the parking space. “What we know for sure is that they aren’t capable of listening to a regular alpha order, such as the one you would provide.”

“Hard to control…” Tiger hummed at the thought. “Almost sounds like a feral omega.” 

“Almost, except they can only bow down to the dynamic of a Prime Alpha.”

“It sucks that we'll probably never have the chance to meet one.” 

“I agree,” Rose said, looking through the rearview mirror at Cassandra. “I know father would love to run a few tests on them too."

~*~

Dick’s dreams lingered at the edge of his consciousness during one of his many efforts to fall asleep. That was when he felt an indistinct movement, then something warm draped over his body. A familiar aroma captured his dozy focus and he inhaled it, slowly stirring his cognizance. A warm palm touched the space between his collar and his shoulder, near the hidden bond bite before resting there. Shortly after, the palm moved to caress his cheek and what followed was a soft lingering kiss. This made Dick slowly open his eyes and through his lashes, he saw Bruce already making his way out of the room and disappearing around the corner. Accompanying the alpha’s departure was an alluring scent that caused Dick to sift through the imminent risks of not being able to keep his hands to himself. Or rather, he was denying himself of what he needed.

Distracted by a faint snore, Dick sat up and glimpsed at the couch across from his. It was Tim and after recollecting his whereabouts, Dick realized that they must have fallen asleep after watching a movie. Making Tim watch a movie with him was just another attempt at cheering him up. In the end, Tim didn’t say much at all and quietly watched the movie but at least he agreed to watch it with Dick and that was a plus. Nevertheless, during the movie, the omega couldn’t rid Tim’s words from his mind… because he’d truly been suffering through this for so long. It wasn’t fixing anything and he was only hurting himself.

Ultimately, Dick wanted everything to go back to the way it was before. He didn’t trust Bruce anymore but he still wanted to be with him. More than anything, he wanted to be with his mate, and in his time staying here, he’s learned a lot when it comes to dealing with certain situations. To comprise in ways Dick wasn’t used to, to push through the pain no matter how much it hurts, and to recognize how someone else might be feeling. He wasn’t in this alone. Bruce had been with him all the way, though, at times they collided, the alpha never pushed him aside.

Dick decided then it was now or never and stood up from the couch. He pulled the blanket along with him, covering Tim with it before leaving the room. Past the dim lighting that filled the hallways, Dick carried those thoughts with him on the way to Bruce’s office. It was a longer trek than needed, due to Dick’s spur of the moment second-guessing but eventually, he made it. When he stood in front of the door staring at his shadow, he reached for the doorknob, took a deep breath then pushed it open. Drops of nervousness seeped through his pores as he caught sight of his alpha placing a small stack of books into a box sitting on the coffee table. Hearing a tiny creak, the alpha swiftly looked Dick’s way where his depleted features promptly softened at the sight of his omega. 

“Sorry, did I wake you earlier?” Bruce asked in a way any pure gentleman would.

Dick shook his head. “No… I wasn’t fully asleep.” He rubbed his forearms at the slight chill of the room and flicked his gaze on the box; _the same box he saw under Bruce’s desk_. The omega let out a short breath, quickly tearing his gaze away from the sight. “What are you doing?” Dick asked softly, seeing the alpha hesitate before responding.

“...I’m getting rid of her things.” There was an unspoken sigh in Bruce’s tone as he sauntered toward the shelf and began pulling off more books.

“Oh…” From afar, Dick could see the box was filled with books and a stack of… envelopes. _So that’s where the letters were._ Dick tried not to think of how he would have reacted if he’d sifted his way through the box that day he was snooping around. He was _so_ close too and he sort of wished he’d been able to read through the letters that day. It would have probably been better than finding out from someone else but it would be no less infuriating.

“Why are you getting rid of everything?” Dick revealed a sincere inquiry.

Bruce dropped another small pile into the box before assessing his mate. “It’s funny you ask me that.” He said while closing the flaps of the box. 

Dick felt a semblance of annoyance settle in his gut. “I never asked you to do this.” 

“I know you never asked.” The alpha sat down on the loveseat, extending his arm along the back of the couch. “I simply want to be considerate of your feelings.” 

“Considerate?” Dick lowered his eyebrows that were accompanied by a surge of irritation. “You make it sound as if you’re doing _me_ a favor and not you.” 

Massaging his forehead, Bruce murmured. “I don’t want to fight tonight, Dick.”

“I’m not trying to start a fight, I’m just…” Dick stopped short, attempting to calm himself. “Getting rid of everything isn’t going to change what happened.” The omega couldn’t deny that he was admittedly pleased; his joy almost resembled that of selfishness because he’s wanted her stuff gone since the day he found out. On the other hand, he didn’t like the way Bruce said it- as if it was something he’d been forced to do. 

“Ignoring people won’t either.” Upon hearing the alpha’s reply, Dick looked off to the side.

“Of course… now you’re putting the blame on me.” 

Bruce quietly exhaled. “Come and sit down, Dick.”

Sights already set on the loveseat across from the Bruce’s, Dick occupied the familiar space and immediately abandoned eye contact. 

“My hope is that you came here tonight so we can talk?” Bruce questioned.

“...Something like that.” 

“Then I want to settle this calmly,” Bruce stated and as it so happened, Dick didn’t take too kindly to how vain his tone sounded.

“You don’t have a right to ask for anything at this point.”

“This is _all_ that I ask for, Dick,” Bruce replied, without a hitch. “I don’t want to fight. I don’t have the energy to do so.”

It was disbelief that narrowed Dick’s eyes at that moment. “You want to settle this calmly? Then admit what you’ve done is wrong. Because as of right now, all I know is what you’ve proven yourself to be. You’re untrustworthy and all you do is keep secrets.”

“...I do.” 

“And you’re a liar.” The omega continued.

“I know,” Bruce admitted for a second time like it was simplicity itself.

Dick observed the alpha’s candid but standoffish reaction. His utterances involved minimal effort, resulting in the following silence. Dick didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t anticipated for the alpha to open and shut case without a fight. It would seem that Bruce _genuinely_ didn’t want to have another argument and if that’s true then the omega would abide by it. Because right now, all that remained was pure admittance and that would come from Bruce’s end.

“I should have told you about her.” The silence was parted by Bruce’s admission. “But I didn’t. And no matter how many times I say sorry, it won’t account for the amount of pain I’ve caused you.” Remorse filled the space between them and Bruce's stoic expression wilted into that of self-reproach. “At the time, I thought bringing up Selina was unimportant and so I had no reason to talk about it. I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal because I was worried about you having to deal with more problems besides DS still being around...”

Dick resisted the urge to respond as he listened to the alpha’s next line.

“...and for me, it was in the past; it didn’t matter anymore because Selina’s already... dead.”

The room grew foggy with silence until Dick found the will to speak. “With all this stuff.” He motioned toward the box. “And how you currently feel, it’s _not_ in the past for you. It’s happening right now because you still haven’t let it go.”

“...I’m aware that I have a lot of problems that I need to deal with.”

“And I don’t want to put our relationship on hold while you’re still trying to figure it out.”

“I think we’ve already been on hold for a while now. For too long.”

Dick gripped the edge of the couch cushion and forced his patience by not saying anything.

“Though, I will say that it gave me some time to think.”

Dick sighed. “I only stopped talking to you because I was…” He paused, falling back on his willingness to admit he was immature but that’s not all it was. “You said that she was your… everything… your family. Do you know how that made me feel?”

“I never meant to hurt you.”

“Well you did, and it made me think that I was _nothing_ compared to her; that you still missed being with her.” Dick struggled to confess. “I’m already insecure enough and when I heard those things I just… couldn’t stand to be near you.” _It made him feel less than- below Selina in terms of his status as Bruce's mate._

“I do miss Selina…” Bruce said simply, causing Dick’s fingers to curl further into the cushion, the whites of his knuckles turning red as he tried not to react.

“She was always there for me. Especially after my parents died- she never left my side. So yes, I miss her... I think I’ll always miss her.”

Dick bit the inside of his lip and repressed his tears. _He wanted to leave. He couldn’t stand this._

“But there's one thing that I want you to understand, Dick,” Bruce began again, pheromones suddenly mellowing the omega’s distress. “Is that I don’t miss _being_ with Selina. I don’t know how it came across in that way and I’m sorry if I made it sound like that. So believe me when I say that right now, the only thing I miss _being_ with, is you.” 

Dick peered up at the alpha. “...As her replacement.” 

“No… I _never once_ thought of you as a replacement for her. By no means was that ever an option.” The alpha declared. “You two are very different people that can’t be compared. And yes, I do feel different for her than I do for you; but that’s not to say that I love her more, because I don’t.”

“...Then her stuff… I don’t understand why you all of a sudden want to get rid of it now when you could have done that before we mated?” As soon as Dick caught sight of the box, his stare became unrelenting. “To me, it feels like you’re doing this more out of obligation rather than something you want to do for yourself.” 

“Dick…” Bruce sighed. “I feel a sense of loyalty to Selina by keeping her stuff around... 

_It was something tangible; something that thrived off the private connection the alpha had with her._ And Dick was finding it hard to accept that reasoning. “I want it gone… not because you're being considerate of me but because you want to make this work and because you want to help yourself…”

“Dick, let me expla-

“I won’t accept any excuses.”

“I’m not trying to make any excuses and I’m still going to get rid of her stuff but…”

“But what?” Dick asked while scrutinizing him.

“I just want to explain myself. I want to tell you everything.”

Shaking his head slightly, Dick crossed his legs and leaned back. “Fine. I’ll listen.”

“I keep everything around because…” The alpha hesitated. “It’s only because I blame myself for what happened… Knowing that I might have been able to prevent it…” Bruce said, recognizing his faults, “That’s what keeps me from forgetting about her.” 

_Dick still didn’t understand why Bruce blamed himself?_ “Tim told me how she…”

“What did he tell you?”

Dick pulled his eyes away from the alpha and looked elsewhere. “About Risen, the spy, the leaked information that led her to find the warehouse and…” He took a deep breath. “You couldn’t have done anything to stop that from happening.”

“But I could have.” The alpha claimed as though he believed it from the bottom of his heart but Dick continued to uphold his opinion.

“Bruce, it’s not your fault.”

Despite Dick’s testament, Bruce shook his head. “If I hadn’t let her join the clan then none of this would have happened... From the very beginning, Mr. Calabrese never wanted Selina to be involved; he said she’d get herself hurt… but I didn’t listen.

“Is that why you two don’t get along? Because of what happened to her?”

“Yes… he blames me for everything.” 

Rex was never a pleasant man to be around. But growing up, Bruce had no reason to doubt his virtue, mainly because his parents seemed to have no problem with the man. Rex was a family associate and a researcher that perfected the science and proficiency of the heat suppressant. With that connection, there had to at least be some goodness in him. The man was somewhat there for Bruce when his parents died. By that, he means allowing Selina to hang around him even though it was obvious he didn't want her to. Regardless of that, Bruce appreciated it, for Selina made his mourning all the more tolerable. Bruce did eventually find out the reason why Mr. Calabrese had been unwilling to let him and Selina be friends. When he turned fourteen, Bruce began his training and he allowed Selina to come with him. There, he told her everything about the Dark Knight clan. She was shocked, stunned, and was annoyed that Bruce hadn’t told her up until that point. And as expected, she wanted in… so Bruce let her in. 

They were best friends turned lovers and as the days went on, Bruce had grown comfortable. It wasn’t until Mr. Calebrese found out that Selina was a part of the clan that things took a turn for the worse. He wanted her kicked out and wanted Bruce to be the one to do it. Even though it had already been more than ten years since she joined without any incident, her father didn’t care. He was so adamant with his decision; so unyielding and persistent by the prospect of her being in the clan that Bruce finally said something about it to Selina. When all was said and done, she made her decision and refused to listen or leave- not until she put a stop to Risen.

“She was a free spirit and very headstrong. I couldn’t stop her from doing anything even if I wanted to.” Bruce brought a fist to his mouth and gave a pensive smile.

“So she was stubborn…” Dick uttered, gazing at the pattern on the large rug. “...like you.”

“Yes, more than me at times. We butted heads very often because of that…” The alpha tapered off after sensing Dick’s affliction. “...I think that's why she never told me about the leaked information until she got there. She knew that I would try to stop her. And if I'd gotten the chance to, I would have come up with a better plan or done anything else to make the confrontation easier. Anything… just to have stopped it from happening especially since she was…” The words died on Bruce’s lips, leaving the air open to feelings of sorrow and regret. 

Dick could see that Bruce wanted to say more but something was holding him back; a shadow of untamed grief that had formed a wall of denial. _What was it? What else wasn’t Bruce telling him?_ What was it that caused Bruce to accept so much blame from people like Holly and Rex? Was it because he wanted to protect Selina’s integrity even though her decision was her own choice? Or was it something else much deeper… _oh…_ _it was deeper… and dire… and extremely painful..._

“I’ve never told anyone this before… it was a secret between Selina and me…”

_A secret? A secret so grievous… and distressing that Dick was finding it hard to stay in the same room as his mate. How bad could it be?_

“At the time before her death, she…” Bruce started then stopped again with a bitter, unforgiving, agony that was directed at himself.

“She was…” Bruce’s voice shook- soft, halting, disbelief as the word pried its way passed his lips. “...Pregnant.” He inhaled a deep breath and blew out slowly. “That’s why it's so hard for me to let her go.” Bruce’s eyes ambled away toward the door by dint of the unnerving and desolate confession and he remained unaware of Dick placing a hand on his own stomach. 

Dick stood at the brink of something he wasn’t able to reveal. Though he’d planned on telling Bruce that night about his… pregnancy, he also planned on telling him about his means to… abort it. But the weight of everything that had just been said seemed to put a substantial amount of weight on his heart. _Dick couldn’t tell him… he knew he was running out of time but he truly couldn’t tell Bruce about his decision… it would break him._

“Bruce,” Dick felt his body move on gut feeling alone and before he knew it, he was at his alpha’s side. The sides of their knees touch as the omega faced him, bringing a hand up to caress his cheek. “You didn’t know; you didn’t know anything about her decision. How could you? No one could have seen that coming. So it’s not your fault.” 

There was no doubt in Dick’s mind that the alpha was similar to him in this way- keeping things inside. It hurt to not know about Selina at first, it hurt listening to everything he said about her, and the way he smiled at their memories. But this was something more than any one person could handle. Losing the love of his life and his unborn child all in one day was something he could never get back.

“Bruce, I’m _so_ sorry.” The alpha’s pain and all the things he said; he kept them safe within his mind as if he would find the answers one day. He won’t. There was only one truth of the matter and that was none of this was his fault; no one can predict the future. It’s all left up to fate to decide and perhaps that was even worse because fate favored no one...

“I wish you had told me in the beginning… it's so hard for me to hear this now but I want to comfort you regardless of that."

There was a calming moment between them, Bruce having covered Dick’s hand with his own, bringing their foreheads together.

"I don’t deserve you…” The alpha said after a while.

“Don’t say that.”

“I hurt you and here you are comforting me instead. I should be the one saying sorry for putting you through this."

“No, we’re both hurting in different ways… and I’ve never been in a relationship before… but honestly, I never thought it would be like this...”

“I’m sorry for that,” Bruce said again and cupped the omega’s cheek. “I can never take back the things I’ve said or the pain I’ve caused you. But I’ll try and work through my grievances.”

Dick nuzzles the alpha’s warm palm, wanting to believe in Bruce's words but it was so hard to. Everything that happened, made Dick realize that the only way he dealt with pain, was to avoid it…” 

That’s all he’s ever done. He left DS behind, picked up his life, and moved in with Bruce. Dick thought that by doing that he was finally changing for the better and that he would experience less pain. But that’s not how it turned out. Though his pain has substantially lessened… it was still there.

“Bruce… I want you to be truthful with me.” Dick bit his lip with uncertainty. He knew what Bruce revealed was heartbreaking but he really wanted to know the truth. “If she was still alive today… would you have left her for me?”

“Yes,” Bruce said in a heartbeat, and Dick had never been more content in his entire life. “It’s because I was…” The alpha stalled his reasoning and pulled his hand away.

“Because you were what?”

“...Looking for you.”

Dick frowned. “Looking… for me…?”

“At the circus, I was there that night when your parents…”

_Dick looked away, speechless. He couldn’t believe it. This had to be another lie._

“After it happened, I searched for you, I asked the people at the circus who knew you and your parents but you were already gone and no one, not even the police could find you… and I’ve been looking for you ever since.”

Dick immediately remembered Selina’s letter; the one he’d been confused about but he was confused no longer. She knew about him too; she wanted Bruce to move on, to let him go, so they could move forward together...

“Because I knew you were out there somewhere, it was hard for me to commit to Selina. It put a strain on our relationship.” Bruce explained. “It wasn’t easy for her but eventually, she accepted it.”

Dick swore he was just hearing things at that moment. He swore he was still hearing those silent wishes he made as a child. _Someone would save him. Someone was looking for him._ But after five years of reassuring himself and gaining no results, he gave up. And of course, at the circus, no one could find him… Dick ran outside and to the back of the tent after seeing his parents die. He didn’t want to see their bodies any longer; he didn’t want the cops or anyone to comfort him; he just wanted to be alone. And during his silent promise to show his presence to the police later, he cried everything out, hearing nothing but sirens in the background. Then suddenly a voice, deep and riveting, surged forward and grasped him by the last strand of his sanity.

_Follow me, young Grayson._

The first time he heard an alpha order, happened on the same night he killed his parent’s murderer.

“Dick…” Bruce’s voice broke Dick’s trance, causing him to wonder even further.

He remembered the first time Bruce had said his name. ‘Dick.’ No one had called him that in fifteen years. Only his parents and his circus family knew he went by that. He’s never questioned it until now because admittedly the very first time they met was still fuzzy due to his heat. 

“Don’t cry.” Bruce soothed him by wiping away a tear, making the omega realize he was crying and soon after, he was sobbing into the alpha’s chest.

“You stupid idiot, why didn’t you tell me?” Dick was in the midst of fury and happiness as he hung onto Bruce’s every word. He didn’t know which emotion to feel; he was so confused, but for all of that, he never pulled away from the alpha’s chest. “You asshole.” Dick looked up at the alpha. “Don’t ever lie to me again even if it hurts I wanna know.”

“Dick I-”

“I want you to stay true to your word, Bruce.” Dick wouldn’t be fooled this time. He made sure to focus on Bruce’s feelings so he could sense the pretense of a promise. “I want you to swear to me; swear to me that you’ll never keep another secret from me. I'm serious this time.” 

Bruce gently grabbed one of Dick’s hands, bringing it to his mouth where he planted a soft kiss. “I swear that I won’t keep secrets from you again.”

Dick huffed, interlocking their fingers. “It’s so hard to believe you...”

“I’ll try and do better my lov-” Bruce stopped short, correcting himself. “Sorry, it's a habit.”

Dick plopped his head back on the alpha’s chest, silently commending Bruce for at least attempting to fix his ways. Moreover, Dick wanted to reward him for it by offering him an alternative. “As far as nicknames go, sometimes my mom used to call me robin.” He mumbled, pulling away slightly to wipe away the rest of his tears.

There was a small smile then a careful utterance. “Robin… That's a very pretty bird.” Bruce softly thumbed the omega’s cheek. “A very pretty bird indeed.” 

The compliment paid by means of essentially calling Dick a ‘pretty bird,’ made the omega blush. Dick playfully pushed against Bruce’s chest. “Sweet talker- fucking playboy.” He rested his head on Bruce’s chest once again, feeling the alpha chuckle. “This is why I can’t hate you...” Dick snuggled closer, breathing in his alpha’s scent as their unpleasant emotions diminished into thin air. He then felt Bruce wrap an arm around him; felt his soothing presence, and Dick stayed quiet so they could stay lost in the moment a while longer. He let the calmness caress his skin like a cool summer breeze, softening his damaged soul that could never truly be fixed. But he would take whatever he could get even if the pain was dulled only a little. 

“I have more things I need to tell you.” Bruce’s soft voice interrupted the silence. “About where I was Sunday.”

“I… have something I need to tell you too…” Pulling back, Dick looked up at his alpha. He knew he had to tell Bruce he was pregnant eventually but now wasn’t the time. 

“You have something to tell me?” Bruce inquired.

“It can wait until tomorrow…” _Dick promised himself he would do it tomorrow. He had to._ “Right now, I’m just tired...”

“I am too... We’ll sleep together tonight.” It wasn’t a question but Dick nodded anyway, knowing that he’d finally have a full night’s sleep.

Unexpectedly, Bruce's hand drifted to his waist. It settled there before pulling him closer and they both knew what was coming. Their lips brushed, briefly caressing, never fully touching, until they finally did. The kiss obliterated every one of Dick’s thoughts, sending shivers down his spine. For the first time in a month, his mind was locked onto the present and not the past; not on Selina. And perhaps the only relevant truth here is that everyone’s a liar, some more than others. What’s more, is that Dick still did not fully trust Bruce. But for now, he’d worry about that later and instead rule out their mutual exhaustion and touch starved dilemmas before he lost his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I’ve gotten quite a few comments about a love triangle or poly ship between Tim, Jason, and Roy. 
> 
> I’ve decided I'm going to do a little love triangle which is going to happen further down the road.
> 
> (Sorry to those who wanted a poly ship. Maybe next time) 😅
> 
> JayTim is endgame!


	25. Avoiding the Inevitable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if there are mistakes everyone.

Fervor

It was that which guided Dick’s passions further than he anticipated, for a kiss wasn’t enough to sate his desires. The kiss was too soft; too sweet, almost like a flower petal caressing his skin and it was too quiet. While the huffs of warm breaths provided a faint noise, Dick could still hear the clock ticking on the back wall above Bruce’s desk. It was all too gentle and not enough zeal to pad the omega’s lack of interaction. It was only supposed to be a simple kiss-no tongue-just a quick back and forth of lip-locking to heal the separation. By some ill luck, Dick had underestimated his own resolve to pull away, up until the point where he literally couldn’t. 

Something held his mind prisoner to the point where he couldn’t find his own virtue or reasoning. There was a balance within himself that had tipped to one side the moment he started leaking slick. It was different from his heat--where he would drip profusely--now it was a mild dampness. It carried with it a scent that couldn't be blocked out by Dick’s collar. The smell of his slick didn’t accompany the scent of his pheromones--it was its own essence--which is why an alpha with a keen nose had no problem recognizing an omega’s desire. A desire that had Dick’s erection straining underneath his shorts as his body begged to be unified with his alpha’s. It was a good thing too because Bruce wished for the same.

They were in such a hurry and Dick was too lost in the moment to remember how it happened. Before Dick knew it, he was crawling on Bruce’s lap, fumbling with a half-hearted attempt to remove their pants. Then a few moments later, Bruce was thrusting into him at a quick and lasting pace. It hurt a bit because by God, Bruce's cock was big and Dick had yet to get used to it but it didn’t matter- it’s what he needed. Bruce belonged inside of him. 

They’d been so distracted with becoming one again, that they forgot to take off the rest of their clothes. Dick remained in his t-shirt while the fabric of his shorts caressed the skin of his ankle. It was left hanging there, swinging back and forth, threatening to fall over the edge of the loveseat with each thrust. Bruce was mostly in the same condition with his shirt still on and his pants hanging on by the stretch of his widened knees. By means of their never-ending grind and Dick’s loud whimpers, it would continue to go unnoticed.

“B-Bruce-” Dick keened, arching forward into a painful bend when the alpha grabbed his ass cheeks. The firm hold was soon bringing the omega down harder on Bruce’s manhood. Dick moaned gaspingly and helplessly moved his hands away from the alpha’s shoulder to grip the back of the couch. He leaned over Bruce a bit further, panting harshly as his arms strained to push back against the constant rocking. 

“You… a-always grab so hard.” Dick panted, with a tiny smile.

Then Bruce was laying his head back against the cushion with small grunts and furrowed brows before squeezing Dick’s ass again. “It’s what I missed the most.” 

Dick pressed a laugh into the alpha’s mouth, heaving through his nose as he groaned. Through the slippery kiss, he continued to roll his hips, soon noticing how their rapid breathing synched as one. They were always as one. Sharing emotions, sharing pleasures, sharing flaws. Everything. It was strange, really. No matter what happened, Dick would always be drawn to Bruce. He’d always forgive and understand him.

The rest of his thoughts were lost in the string of his everlasting delights. Bruce’s punishing rut, biting Dick’s bottom lip, sucking it into his hot mouth then pulling back with a wet pop. Feeling venturesome, Dick licked his lower lip, dipped low, and trailed his mouth down the alpha’s chin to his throat. Bruce gave a blissful huff when Dick stopped to suck and nip in one spot, gladly tasting the alpha’s skin.

“Mmf-!” Dick recognized the feeling of a warm hand kneading the head of his throbbing cock. He swiftly withdrew his mouth, feeling a bead of saliva dribble on his skin as he threw his head back. He whimpered and brought his hands to the back of Bruce’s head. Pleased, if not a little mischievous, Dick automatically slotted his fingers through the alpha’s hair, pulling the strands as he started riding harder.

Bruce hissed. “Now, th-that’s something I don’t miss.”

“Hmm.” Was all Dick said, for he was too caught up in the moment to care. “Bruce… f-faster-!” His voice broke into a quivering gasp, enjoying the feeling of Bruce pumping his cock. Then their lips became acquainted once again and it was as if their mouths never left each other in the first place.

“So eager… so good for me,” Bruce grumbled against his lips.

Yes… _yes!_ Dick was greedy and so very desperate. He couldn’t get enough. Riding his alpha’s thighs felt so damn good. He was ruined; he was ruined for anyone else. He wanted to ruin Bruce for anyone else too because Bruce was _his_. “Mine…” Dick gasped softly and clamped down around his alpha’s cock. 

“Dick-” Bruce grunted in response. 

Dick brought their mouths together once more, possessively biting the alpha’s lip, working off a few of his overbearing thrills. At this moment, that was all that controlled him. “Mine…” Dick repeated, whimpering as his erection twitched in Bruce’s hand. _“My_ alpha…” He’s never felt so frantic with possessiveness before. He couldn’t distinguish its origin or rather, he didn’t want to bring light to the source because it was through his mistrust. And if by some unfortunate circumstance that they were to fight again, Dick wanted to get it through the alpha’s thick skull. _Bruce was his_.

Without warning, Bruce let go of the omega’s straining erection and changed their positions. Dick whined when the alpha slipped out and in a flash, he was falling back against the loveseat. His shorts and underwear finally slid off his left leg as Bruce pressed his other one into the back cushions. It was an awkward angle but when Bruce leaned over him, fingers spreading the cold wetness of his ass, he sunk back inside without a problem.

“Mm… Ahn!” Dick arched, opening his mouth wide, moans blending in with the sound of flesh meeting flesh. His toes curled at the gush of pleasure consuming his rationale.

“You look so beautiful like this… _my_ pretty bird.” The alpha mouthed against Dick’s lips

Eyes half-lidded, Dick brought his left leg around Bruce’s back. “I want you all the way inside me… deeper… harder- please-!” He begged and the alpha complied. Dick cried out, bringing a hand to claw at the alpha’s clothed back. He never wanted Bruce to stop, it was just too amazing; too perfect. He missed everything about this; everything that had to do with touching his alpha, he missed it. _How had he gone so long without it?_

Dick felt a hand creeping under his shirt during their open-mouthed kiss. In no time, he was hissing at the pain of Bruce’s hand catching the loops of his piercings. Bruce pulled back, thrust slowing down as he yanked Dick’s shirt all the way up.

The alpha was looking down at him, brows pulled together as he judged the omega’s new assets. “When… did you get these?”

“Two weeks ago.” Dick panted, pressing his leg into Bruce’s back. “Don’t stop… keep going.” He whined then flinched when the alpha ran a thumb across his right nipple.

“Bruce, not so hard… They're still healing.” Dick complained and pulled the alpha closer, whispering into his ear. “Keep fucking me… hurry… alpha.”

Bruce growled, causing Dick to tremble and his breath caught when the alpha damn near, slammed into him. “You let… _someone else_ touch you?”

Dick kept Bruce close to his collared neck as a small smirk appeared on his face. He was feeling a bit emboldened then, only because he’s waited so long for this to happen. He just wanted to cum. “...Yeah... I let _him_ _touch me_.”

There was a rumble in the alpha’s chest and soon after Bruce was back to vigorously fucking him. Dick gasped, feeling his head hit the flat slate of the armrest with every movement. There was just something satisfying about seeing his alpha come undone with such a strong desire. _Was it wrong of him to like this? To be a little playful, selfish, and vulnerable in moments like these?_

“You're _mine_ …” The alpha uttered in a low voice, biting the rim of Dick’s ear. “Don't let anyone else touch you.”

Dick chuckled through a fluttering gasp. “Mm… only y-yours… ” Dick spoke in between moans, attempting to tame his alpha’s mood. “O-only… you can touch me.” He reassured, as he lifted Bruce’s head and brought their lips together, jerking as he was fucked mercilessly. Dick had no time to think when suddenly the alpha’s hand was tugging at his cock.

His breath was stolen away, letting the heightened pleasure take him to a place far away. Dick was so wet and overcome with the feeling of arousal, he nearly fainted… but not yet… he was _so_ close- He wailed, his back forming an arc the closer he got to- _“Aahh-!”_ A sharp intake and Dick was immediately overwhelmed with a stunning ejaculation. He dug his fingers into the alpha’s bi-ceps, tossing his head back, stretching his neck to where the collar nipped at his skin. Shudder after shudder racked itself through Dick’s body and it wasn’t long before Bruce was following in his stead and cumming inside of him.

Both of them were blissed out, trying to steady their ragged breathing, mingling past their brushing lips. About a minute passed before Dick realized where he was. They were still in Bruce’s office, which wasn’t that far from the living room where… _Shit_

“Bruce…” Dick breathed softly, “Please tell me your office is soundproof?”

Bruce sat up, casually running a hand through his sweaty hair. “...It’s not.”

Dick groaned, “Fuck.” He could only pray that Tim was a hard sleeper otherwise Dick would never live this down.

~*~

One moment there was blood; dripping blood clasped in between his fingers and a mass of bodies, whose screams would soon turn into loud cries. Dick was forced to listen because there was an alpha order locking him in place, telling him where to go; telling him what to do. He had no choice but to listen. That was the curse of his dynamic. As an omega, he would be a victim to it for the rest of his life but Dick was used to it. He hadn’t accepted it but he was accustomed to the sights, the sensations, and the sounds. He was a killer. That’s why blood would always stain his dreams, his memories, and his life moving forward.

Bruce only knew so much. He practically knew nothing at all except for what Grant told them. How would he react when Dick told him all the things Slade made him do? Not just the simple fact that he’s killed people but what he’s done in _great detail_ … How would Bruce react? Would it be similar to Rose’s situation? She wasn’t accepted and came running back to the clan because there was nothing else left for her. Dick wouldn’t do that- he wouldn’t run back to the clan but he _would_ run… to where? He didn’t know. Giving Bruce a more in-depth explanation of his prior lifestyle could possibly ruin everything. To have everything they’ve built up, everything he’s learned so far, be taken away… he wouldn’t be able to handle it. He’d run and like that, Dick realized that maybe he hadn’t learned much at all… 

A sudden calming sensation came over him, encircling him, rousing his awareness. Dick hummed, feeling his cheek rub against Bruce’s chest as he breathed in his scent.

“Morning," Bruce grumbled while pressing a kiss on the top of Dick’s head, whispering softly. 

"Morning,” Dick muttered and finally opened his eyes, seeing the familiar surroundings of Bruce’s bedroom- well, _their_ bedroom, formally. 

“Did you have another bad dream?”

“The same as usual…” Dick answered and it was left at that.

Bruce never asked him if he wanted to talk about his dreams anymore and for that, Dick was grateful. Sometimes he felt as if his dreams were true; as if they actually happened in real life. Maybe his mind was trying to retrieve the existence of what appeared to be… forgotten memories. Some of them Dick hadn’t realized he’d forgotten until they came to him suddenly. He never knew if they were a part of reality or not. _He really didn’t want to know._

“For once, you’re actually here when I wake up.” Dick pointed out, in an attempt to change the topic while tracing his fingers ever so slightly across Bruce’s chest.

“That’s because we both slept late today.”

“Mm, we did?” Dick peered at the sunlight breaching between a gap in the curtains. “What time is it?”

“Almost two o’clock.”

Despite hearing what time it was, Dick closed his eyes and proceeded to snuggle into the alpha’s chest. “Guess we missed breakfast.”

“We’ll miss lunch too if we don’t get up now.”

Bruce didn’t even give Dick a minute to shed the drowsiness from his mind before he was moving out of his hold. The omega huffed, watching Bruce retrieve the boxers he threw somewhere on the floor from last night. 

“I want to sleep some more,” Dick murmured, bringing a pillow under his head to replace Bruce’s missing chest. Just then, the startings of a queasy sensation stirred in his lower belly. He knew he wouldn’t puke now and that it was just simple nausea but he could never be too careful especially with Bruce here. So he stayed completely still, taking in quiet breaths as he tried to focus on the alpha’s answer. 

“That’s alright, you can rest some more. I’m going to take a shower.”

“What I meant was that I want you to come back to bed with me,” Dick dreaded the thought of leaving the bed; for some reason, he was still extremely tired. Bruce, on the other hand, looked completely refreshed. 

“Come on, pretty bird.” Sitting back down on the bed, Bruce gave the omega a fond look. “It’s a nice day outside, let’s get up.”

Dick sighed and slowly sat up, feeling his stomach churn along with the cool breeze wafting over his naked body. With Bruce’s broad back in sight, he crawled across the bed and wrapped his arms around the alpha’s shoulders. “Please, come back to bed?” Dick kissed the back of Bruce’s neck. “Then when we wake up, we can continue from last night and make up for lost time… again… How’s that sound?” He felt the alpha relax under his loving kisses. From there, Bruce grabbed his arm, and Dick thought he finally had him. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about this. When did you get it done?” Bruce inquired, referring to Dick’s tattoo. “Two weeks ago, as well?” He studied the design around the omega’s wrist, ensuring that the DS letters had been covered up completely.

Dick rolled his eyes and sluggishly moved around Bruce to stand up from the bed. He heard the alpha chuckling behind him as he was followed to the bathroom. “That’s not funny, Bruce. I was being serious.” He didn’t stop walking until he stood in front of the linen closet and pulled out a dry-off towel.

“I know, I’m sorry.” Bruce hugged the omega from behind. “We can go back to bed for a couple more hours if that’s what you really want.”

“It’s too late for that.” Dick maneuvered himself out of the alpha’s hold and proceeded to place the towel on the ledge outside of the shower. “I'm wide awake now so I guess I’ll take a shower.”

“I’ll join you.” Before Dick could reject his offer, Bruce was stepping out of his boxers and sliding open the shower door.

Dick usually wouldn’t mind taking a shower together but that was _before_ he started wearing a collar. Granted, it wouldn’t be damaged in the shower because it was waterproof but that wouldn’t stop Bruce from wondering why he was still wearing it. They made up and Dick’s distress was gone so what other reason could he have for wearing it? He knew Bruce would be questioning the same thing, seeing as he was clearly glancing at it the entire time they bathed. Even though Bruce didn’t say anything about it, sooner or later, he would; and when that happened, Dick would be forced to tell him. Luckily, by the time they finished, Bruce seemed to be a bit more interested in other things that didn’t concern his collar. 

“Wally picked out the pattern for me at the shop,” Dick answered another question Bruce had about his tattoo while getting dressed.

“Wally…”

Dick heard Bruce pause and so he peered the alpha’s way. “What?”

“Are you still talking to him?”

 _Somehow, Dick knew this was coming._ “He’s my friend, of course, I am.” 

“...He’s a bad influence.” Bruce blindly claimed as if getting a tattoo was a bad thing. Says the same man who allows his children to walk around with tattoos on their necks. Dick always wondered what age they got theirs done? Guess it didn’t really matter now, he knew Bruce was just using this as an excuse to keep Dick all to himself.

“Just so you know, **I** was the one who wanted to get all of these things done. It’s simple really, I was tired of seeing DS on my wrist all the time, so I got it covered up. The piercings on the other hand… I was being a bit brash.” Dick confessed as he finished getting dressed. “Wally actually thought I was crazy but he went along with it anyway.”

Bruce didn’t answer at first and Dick truly believed that was enough to get the alpha off his back. Sadly, he was far from it.

“I just don’t want you hanging out with him alone.” The alpha finally admitted and Dick laughed at how ridiculous he sounded.

“Bruce, he’s only a friend…” Dick stopped laughing and gave his alpha an earnest answer. “I gotta be honest here and say that I haven’t had a friend in such a long time… and you guys don’t count.”

The alpha’s hard expression faltered a bit after recognizing his mistake. “...I guess it’s acceptable then.”

With a sharpened tone, Dick retorted, “It would be acceptable even without your permission. You don’t have to worry about him flirting with me or anything like that because he already has a girlfriend. Besides... betas never flirt with me, it’s only alphas that do that.” He cursed inwardly after noticing what he just let slip.

“Other Alpha’s?” Bruce frowned and snarled. “Who?”

Without replying, Dick turned away and casually looked at himself in the bathroom's full-length mirror.

“Surely they know you’re mated now?”

“They… do…” It was most likely because Dick had been wearing a collar as of late. Paired omegas had no reason to do that because they smelled like they were mated. In this case, unmated omegas had a more desirable smell. Albeit, there were alpha’s out there loved the way a mated omega smells but it’s considered more of a homewrecking fetish than anything. 

“You’re not leaving the house without me anymore.” Bruce suddenly announced.

Dick immediately recalled what that alpha from yesterday said- that he shouldn’t be walking around ‘without his alpha.’ With that in mind, Dick let out a short breath and clenched his jaw. “I can defend myself, Bruce.” He said, glimpsing at Bruce through the mirror. “I want you to understand that I will be doing things on my own, especially when DS is dealt with. I might even get a job somewhere.”

The alpha looked sincerely incredulous at Dick’s idea. “A job? Why?” 

Feeling defeated, Dick sighed loudly. “Bruce…”

"I will pay for anything that you need-"

“Enough.” Dick humbly sought the need to calm himself, mainly because he didn’t want to get into another fight. He pulled his gaze away from the mirror and fully faced his alpha, initiating eye contact. “I’m just going to say this now so it won’t be a problem later on. I'm not going to be _kept_ like some sort of housewife or anything like that. How many times do we have to have this conversation, Bruce?” 

Before long, Bruce made his way to the omegas side and pulled him close by the waist. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine… I know you’re possessive by nature but I just don’t like the feeling of being owned or controlled. I hope you can understand that.” _Whether it was by an order or not, he didn’t like it._

The alpha drew gentle circles in Dick’s lower back, giving him a genuine answer, “I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“I get that but like I said before, you can’t keep me locked away just because you’re worried.”

They exchanged opposing looks for a short time before Bruce parted the issue. “...I’ll try to work on it.”

“That’s all I want for you to do is try.”

“Just give me some time- I won’t change right away.”

Dick was willing to compromise because he knew what Bruce stood for and that he meant no harm. It’s like Tim said, Selina’s death affected him in ways that weren’t easily changeable, hence Dick’s effortless acceptance. “I can do that.”

Bruce nodded. "But I still expect you to tell me about any alpha who flirts with you. Especially now."

Dick chuckled softly, thinking back to a few. "Well, there was this one guy..." 

.

.

.

Their regular morning routine took a while because most of Dick’s toiletries were upstairs and he had to go retrieve them. Eventually, they finished getting ready and made their way downstairs, soon hearing something loud like glass crash in the distance. Bruce sighed tiredly and Dick couldn’t help but remember the first time he stepped into this exact foyer, hearing that exact same sound. It was very nostalgic, except now the circumstances were different- he wasn’t trying to run away from his soulmate this time around. 

Bruce was the first to start walking and Dick trailed closely behind until they reached the kitchen door. When Bruce pushed it open, Dick heard an unfamiliar laugh while seeing no one, but Tim, sitting on a barstool, casually doing something on his laptop.

_“That was Alfred's best dish.”_

_“You’re fucking dead.”_

“Jason.” Was the first thing Bruce said, completely omitting Tim’s participation in the whole thing.

“It was an accident.” Jason came into view after he stood up from behind the island countertop.

“Hey, Mr. Wayne.” Another person with a full head of ginger-colored hair, made his presence known. “How’s it goin’?”

“Roy, I didn’t know you were visiting today.”

Roy grinned timidly. “I just dropped by unexpectedly, for old times sake.” 

“I hope you two plan on cleaning this up,” Bruce answered after having walked over to where Jason stood, looking down at the ground.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get this cleaned up right away,” Roy reassured the other alpha before placing a hand on Jason’s shoulder and pushing him back down along with him.

“I’m going to go talk to Alfred before he gets to Jason,” Bruce said, walking over to Dick’s side.

“Softening the blow?” Dick mused.

“Hopefully, but it most likely won’t happen.” Bruce lectured and Jason groaned in response.

Dick laughed, watching Bruce leave the kitchen before sitting next to Tim. His nausea had worn off a bit and now he was feeling hungry which is precisely why he went straight for one of the pizza boxes sitting in the middle of the countertop. “How’d you end up breaking glass this time, Jay?” Dick asked after grabbing a slice.

“They were play-fighting,” Tim answered. “Like they usually do… remind you they’re nineteen but apparently they're too dumb enough to know that they’re not supposed to do that in the kitchen.”

“Aw, c’mon Tim.” Roy stood up, holding two big pieces of clear glass. “I’m not that dumb if I study at Princeton, right?”

“Then why are you picking up glass with your bare hands and not using a broom?”

Roy looked down at his hands. “Oh shit, I just noticed that.”

Dick snorted, seeing Roy open up the trash can and drop the pieces inside. “Jay, where's the broom?”

Jason stood up, “I’ll get it.”

“See? Dumb and Dumber.” Tim whispered loudly.

“I can hear you, Tim- Oh-” Roy cut himself off and regarded Dick with a small smile. “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Roy, Jay’s best friend. By the way, he says that I should call you… Dickie?”

“Seriously, Jay?” Dick inquired, seeing Jason grin and shrug before starting a lazy sweep. “Just call me Dick.” He finally told Roy.

Roy nodded. “Will do.” Then he grabbed a hold of the standing dustpan Jason brought along and looked back down at the floor.

Wanting to see what other toppings they had, Dick flipped open the other pizza box, seeing half pepperoni and half Hawaiian. Surprisingly there was only one slice of Hawaiian left and it made Dick question Tim about his unusually large appetite.

“Actually, I’m the one who ate most of it,” Roy replied before Tim could. 

“Really? There you go, Tim.” Dick nudged his arm. “You found someone who likes your weird tasting pizza.”

Tim scoffed, keeping his eyes low while Roy chuckled.

“Honestly, I’m the one who got Tim to like it,” Roy recalled with a shit-eating grin. “When Tim was small he used to follow me and Jay around and try everything we did. He was so cute back then.”

"Don't call me that. I wasn’t cute."

"I second that, he wasn't cute at all,” Jason opined with a small laugh. “He was annoying."

“...Okay, that’s enough of that.” Tim slammed his laptop shut, hopped down from the stool, and walked out of the kitchen.

Roy watched him go before staring at Jason. “When will you ever not make little Tim mad?” 

“We get along 60… maybe 50% of the time, mostly when he’s telling me secrets.” 

“You make it sound like you two made a deal to only get along when it comes to talking about other people.” 

Dick silently concurred with Roy’s statement.

“It comes with its perks though.” Jason peeked over at Dick eating what looked to be his second slice of pizza. Upon hearing the impending silence, Dick looked up, seeing both alpha’s staring at him.

“What?” The question was muffled by his nonstop chewing.

“I’m confused too,” Roy admitted.

“Glad to see you and Bruce are talking again.” Jason grinned. “And now you're eating for two?”

Dick paused mid-bite, knowing who to blame right away for his secret getting out. “Tim told you.” It wasn’t a question but Jason smugly nodded like it was.

“Wow, congratulations then,” Roy remarked innocently while Jason and Dick had a staredown.

“Tim doesn’t hide anything from me. You should already know that.”

“I had hoped he would actually keep his mouth shut this time around. Now I can only hope that you don’t tell anyone else.”

“Wait, am I missing something here?” Roy spoke up but went completely ignored.

“Sorry, Dickie, I don’t make promises.” Jason taunted.

Dick exhaled noisily through pursed lips. “Jay, I’m serious. Don’t say anything... I want to tell him myself.” 

Jason waved him off after seeing the severity in his expression. “Alright, alright, I was kidding before. I’m not going to say anything to B about it.”

With faux politeness, Dick voiced a quick, “Thank you.” before going back to eating. 

“So… congratulations are still in order, right?” Roy asked, seeming to grasp a little bit more of the situation.

“Congratulations for what?” Everyone looked up when Bruce walked in and three seconds passed before someone responded.

“We were talking about Tim making it into Princeton.”

Dick raised a brow, silently giving Roy his props for quickly covering for him, and thankfully, Bruce took the bait. What father could resist boasting about their son’s achievements? Not Bruce, in fact, he went on to talk about Tim some more while Dick unthinkingly, ate the whole side of pepperoni pizza. It wasn’t until he was finished, that he realized what he’d done and quickly closed the box, hoping no one caught on. It was stupid really, to keep hiding it any longer. He just needed to tell Bruce and get it over with. 

With that half-assed declaration in mind, after lunch, Dick followed Bruce to his office, only to feel the effects of his overeating start to bubble in his gut. He quickly excused himself and made a slow sprint to the nearest bathroom. Dick was very well suffering through the consequences of not telling Bruce earlier. Morning sickness was no joke; especially for him. He just so happened to be one of the million omegas in the world to have a bad case of daily nausea. No matter how little he ate, he couldn't hold anything down. At this point, it was routine to feel his stomach being emptied before having to rinse his mouth with water and mouthwash. 

What’s worse is that Tim was there to witness his frantic rush. And Tim, being who he was, wouldn’t stop harping on Dick about it for the rest of the day. Granted, if Dick hadn’t asked Tim to help him move his clothes from the third floor back to the second floor, he would’ve been free of the teenager’s consistent blame about delaying the inevitable.

Tim was certain Bruce would go insane if Dick considered getting an abortion and the omega believed him too. It was just last night when Bruce revealed his suffering about losing Selina and their child. Given that, it was clear the alpha would be ecstatic when he found out about Dick’s pregnancy. 

Without a doubt, Bruce loved children but there was also something about an alpha’s instinctive pride or the thought of successfully breeding their omega mates, that had them feeling triumphant, in a way. It was a carnal desire that Dick didn’t have. He had absolutely no longing to bear a child and no longing to raise one either… _He didn’t have a right to._

“I don’t know how you’re going to hide this from him now since you two are back to sleeping in the same room.” Tim persisted on as he haphazardly folded a few of Dick’s t-shirts. “What if he sees you throwing up in the middle of the night? He’s gonna have questions, you know? He’s not dumb. Plus, you’re getting extremely clingy.”

“That’s not something Bruce would mind.”

“Well, it’s something I mind since I seem to be at the end of most of your ‘hugs’, lately,” Tim said and Dick could only agree. “I read somewhere that mood swings start around 6 weeks too. I can’t imagine how Bruce is going to react when you get there. Your best bet is to tell him before then.”

Dick huffed while tiredly staring at the pile of hangers swinging on the garment rod on his side of the closet. He debated on replying to Tim because he was tired of saying the same thing over and over again but he did anyway, hoping that this would be the last time. “I already told you that I was going to tell him today.”

“You’ve had all afternoon to tell him, now look at how much time you’ve wasted. It’s already six o’clock. You’re basically stalling.”

Dick looked over at Tim with a bit of irritancy. “Tim, _enough_. I’m done talking about it.”

“I'm just trying to help you.”

“All you've done is annoy me.”

Tim shrugged. “It’s in all good conscience though.”

Dick sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day. “I know that but I need you to trust me on this. When I say that I’ll tell Bruce, _I’ll tell him,_ okay?”

“Tell me what?” Bruce suddenly appeared in the midst of Dick’s pregnancy talk for the second time that day. Fate was really pulling at all it's coincidental strings today, wasn’t it? 

“Bruce,” Dick fumbled with the hanger and ultimately ended up dropping his shirt on the ground. “...Well, that’s… Tim was just telling me about that fancy restaurant called Chez Vous.” Dick lied straight out of his ass.

“Ah, that one. I haven’t been there in a while.” Bruce glanced at Tim. "If I recall correctly, Tim hated that place.”

“Sure did.” Tim swiftly agreed, sending Dick a smug look. 

“Well, what did you want to say about it?” Bruce questioned.

“Yeah, what about it?” Tim gave a sardonic grin, waiting for Dick to answer.

“I… I wanted to try it out for myself. I was thinking we could go there for dinner... tonight?” God, he was such a hypocrite by lying to Bruce but all he could think about was how hurt his alpha would be about his decision. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Bruce.

“Tonight?... I guess that’s fine.”

“Dinner sounds like the perfect time to do a _tell-all_.” Tim teased and Dick finally lost his patience.

“Tim. _Leave_.” 

“Fine.” Tim stood up without complaint, sending Dick one more teasing smirk before leaving. 

“I'm glad to see you two are getting along… in a strange way.”

“Mm… I guess.” Dick chuckled, picking up the shirt he dropped. He was lucky that Tim didn’t wake up last night and hear them otherwise, his teasing might have been worse than this.

“I’m surprised you want to go out tonight.” Bruce sat down on the ottoman behind Dick, watching him hang up his shirt. “Given how reluctant you were to leave the bed earlier.”

“I don’t know, I just feel like eating out somewhere. We’ve never really been out on a _date_ before.” 

“I didn’t know you were worried about those things.”

“I mean sometimes...” Dick trailed off, as he moved to grab a couple of pants hangers.

“We’ll go then- but first, I want to hear about this ‘tell-all’ Tim was talking about.”

Dick kept quiet, knowing that Bruce could feel his sudden strife and nervousness. _Alright, no more lying. He’ll get this over with now._ After finding his resolve, Dick padded across the closet until he was sitting down next to his alpha. 

“What's wrong?”

“...I have something to tell you.” 

Naturally, the alpha grew worried. “What is it?”

Dick refused to face Bruce when speaking; instead, he looked down, brought a hand to the back of his collar and took a deep breath. He pressed a finger into the fingerprint register that only he and Bruce had access to open, hearing the restraints pop open with a clink. 

Then Dick bit his lip, dread filling his mind as he spoke the two words he never thought would come from his mouth. "I'm pregnant." He brought the collar to his lap after allowing the overwhelming admittance to part his lips. 

What followed was five seconds of pin-drop silence and Bruce leaning in close to scent him. Dick shivered and readily bared his neck upon feeling the alpha’s breath drift along his throat. A hand dropped to the small of Dick’s back, pulling him into a warm embrace, making his heart flutter. He full-on whined after a rush of satisfaction and amazement reached his mind. Bruce was gratified. The alpha was smiling against Dick’s forehead, eyes centered on the omega’s flat abdomen before bringing a hand down to caress it like something special. 

“Dick…” His name was mouthed with a lingering kiss on his temple. “My pretty bird…” Then he was hugging Dick tighter, breathing in his scent once more. “Giving me such a wonderful gift.”

Dick felt like crying. _Bruce was so happy_. It made Dick want to be happy too but he knew he couldn’t be...

“I know we haven't talked about this.” Bruce lightly acknowledged.

Dick slowly nodded, steadily looking down at the hand resting on his stomach. He shivered just from seeing it. It was so big and warm, shaped perfectly to cradle his tummy. Still, Dick couldn’t accept it…

“I know…” The omega answered in a whisper. 

With a surge of joy, Bruce spoke. “But I know we can do this together.” 

Dick swallowed. “...Bruce that’s-”

“I'll be here with you every step of the way.”

"Bruce listen, I ca-”

“Dick.” The alpha pulled back and gently lifted the omega’s chin. “You’ve given me everything I’ve always wanted… I know things will be hard with DS around but I’ll protect you- both of you…” Bruce gazed at him with a look Dick had never seen before; a look filled with fond devotion, dedication, and endearment. All those emotions alluded to something that embodied complete affection which soon came in the form of the words… 

“I love you.”

There was a hardening in Dick’s stomach and a tightening in his chest that made him pause, allowing the alpha to kiss him. It was like being shackled in place… invisible and weightless as the words tied him there. _I love you_ was said in such a way that Dick could now see the divine hand of fate that threatened to guide the rest of his life… but there was something wrong… 

_He didn’t like the feeling._

It felt like a claw scratching at his throat, making it hard for him to breathe; making him recall all things he’s done and all the things he’s yet to tell anyone. A lot of those things stuck with him, especially Slade’s teachings. He’d been taught that love overwhelms logic and common sense; it leads a person astray; it holds a person hostage… and for some reason, Dick still believed in that lesson... _what's wrong with him?_

Dick withdrew from the kiss and pushed back, giving the alpha his full attention. “Bruce…”

“What's wrong?” The alpha’s warm smile never faltered. He continued to look at Dick with all the love in the world; all the love he can give to his one and only soulmate. The longer it went on, the faster Dick’s mind was swirling with guilt.

_I’m sorry Bruce._

“I want an abortion." Those words melted the smile off of Bruce’s face instantaneously.

“...What?”

“I don’t want I- I want an abortion,” At some point, the omega’s guilt mixed in with Bruce’s feelings of disbelief. That’s when the alpha managed to scowl at Dick. 

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s like I said… I don’t want-”

The conversation suddenly came to a stop when all of Dick’s senses directed themselves on one focal point. Before he knew it, both he and Bruce were being surrounded by an outrageously strong scent. A scent that made Bruce pull away and stand abruptly. A scent that made Dick’s nose burn with innate familiarity because he swore he’s smelt this scent before. A brief nuance of it, wafting in between the corners of the house, a peculiar smell that Dick had grown used to being present, so much so that it felt normal. Almost like a scent only unique to certain homes but that was far from it… 

_It was now the stringent smell of an omega in heat. Who was it?_

At that moment, all Dick could think about was how the house was filled with three alpha’s, and only one of them was mated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To answer a few questions people had:
> 
> 1\. This story will probably have around 50 chapters more or less idk ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ depending on how I split things up.
> 
> 2\. Assassins will appear soon. Don't want to spoil so that's all I'm going to say 😅


	26. A Wish Come True & a Deteriorating Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Descriptions of self-harm

**7 Years Ago**

  
  


_“Control your senses, your instincts, and never let go of your rationale. All it takes is one slip up for your mind to go blank and you will lose all sense of reason. You never want to lose your sense of reason. Do you understand what I’m saying, Jason?”_

_“I guess…” Jason mumbled, sighing internally. He really didn’t feel like listening to this. Wasn’t it supposed to be an exciting moment between father and son, knowing that he’d just presented as an alpha? But no, right after Jason’s four-day rut, Bruce sat him down and decided to have ‘the talk.’ Thankfully, it didn’t go too far and they quickly moved onto less cringy things. Still, to a twelve-year-old, the current topic was no less obnoxious._

_“I need you to understand the severity of your position,” Bruce stated, eyeing Jason from his seat across the table._

_“What else is there to understand? I get it already, I’m an alpha.” Jason complained, crossing his arms, keeping his eyes averted._

_Bruce let out a sigh. “Yes, and as an alpha, you have certain responsibilities to uphold.” He spoke while taking something out of his pocket. “You will need to carry this with you every time you go out in public. It’s very simple to use but I will have to show you how to administer it.” Bruce slid a pocket-sized box over to Jason, watching the young boy open it and stare at the syringe with confusion._

_“Why do I have to carry this around all the time?” Jason recognized it to be a heat suppressor, similar to the new samples Selina brought home sometimes. “Shouldn’t every omega have one already?”_

_Bruce’s frown wilted at Jason’s pure question. “Sadly, that is not the case. Not every omega can afford heat suppressants of any kind. Some omegas have been abandoned or rejected, some may live on the streets, some are runaways, some of them are foster children…”_

_Jason looked up at Bruce, his mind going back to the days of living in the foster home. The home couldn’t afford to provide every omega that presented with a suppressant; therefore, they had to suffer through their heat alone in a different part of the building._

_“So now you see that not all omegas have access to suppressants, which is why alphas should carry these around as well.”_

_Jason nodded silently._

_“You will encounter an omega in heat more than once in your lifetime and when you do, I will have you be prepared.”_

_“How can I control my… instincts?”_

_“It’s all in your mind but I will teach you in the best way that I can.”_

_“But… what if I still can’t control myself?” Jason asked, now growing a little worried. He didn’t want to be one of those alphas that harmed an omega. He wanted to be just like Bruce and remain strong and poised._

_“Don’t worry, you will be able to control yourself, Jason.” Bruce firmly reassured him. “Think of your brother. He also has the possibility of presenting as an omega just as much as anyone else. And if you end up in some unfortunate situation where he presents and I’m not there, you will have to protect him… even if it’s from yourself. Do you understand, Jason?”_

_Jason fidgeted with the box, feeling nervousness flood through his mind. It was too much responsibility for him to handle but eventually, he would have to deal with real-life problems. “...Okay, I get it now.”_

_Bruce gave a tiny smile. “Good. Now, I will teach you self-control.”_

_Self-control_

_Instinctive Control_

It’s not easy. It’s very hard. _Extremely_ hard. It required a certain amount of balance, patience, determination, and self-discipline to accomplish it. Jason has had a run-in with twelve omega’s in heat during his lifetime- none of which he had to administer a suppressant. Usually, there were other omegas around that had a spare and got the job done with ease but he always kept his on hand like Bruce had taught him.

As of right now though, he wasn't in public; he was at home where he should’ve been able to relax and take a load off. The heat suppressant he needed was upstairs next to his car keys on the dresser by the door. And as long as he’d been practicing his instinctive control, he’d never… _never_ come across a scent quite like this before.

 _Why was the smell so fucking strong?_ The scent shouldn’t be able to spread all over the house in such strong waves like this. It was so powerful that it was practically bleeding through the walls. That in itself made it hard to discern where the smell was coming from but he knew it was somewhere close to the livingroom he and Roy were in.

Jason had long since pinned the other alpha to the ground, using all his strength and aggressive scent to make him back down. Unfortunately, Roy wasn’t one to back down so easily. With a few jerking movements, Roy tried to force his way out of Jason’s punishing grip, growling, snarling, and all. For the moment, Jason was running on his more hostile instincts in an attempt to defend his brother. _It was Tim, right? It had to be._ That was the only person he could picture having that scent. It was only Tim’s face and that scent that consumed Jason’s thoughts. Only Tim… _only Tim..._

Jason scented the air once more causing his mind to descend further into madness- he was losing control… he needed to concentrate, he needed to cover his nose. Having thought that, Jason subconsciously covered his nose, completely forgetting his reason for not doing so in the first place. It wasn’t until there was a fist knocking into the side of his jaw, that he noticed his mistake. 

“Fuck!” He roared and held his jaw, cracking it as he watched Roy swiftly stand up. Jason growled, kicked out, and tripped the other alpha with ease. “Roy, fucking control yourself!” Jason yelled, quickly pinning Roy back to the ground while trying to keep his own instincts in check.

“Get the fuck off, Jay!” Roy snarled, baring his teeth in a challenge. “ _He’s mine.”_ He proclaimed, growing all the more angrier when Jason didn’t let up.

“Like hell, I’m gonna let you touch _my_ brother.” Jason threatened in a low voice, staring at his best friend with contempt. He hadn’t expected Roy to have a one-track mind when it came to this type of situation, then again, he couldn’t really blame him- this smell wasn’t normal. Jason was barely holding on himself. If he made one misstep and lost himself for one second he was done--

“Jay?”

Both alphas froze upon hearing a soft, gentle voice. Jason had to force himself not to look at the doorway, especially with Roy growing all the more restless underneath him.

“Stay calm, asshole…” Jason hissed through his teeth, trying to ignore the movement at the side of his eye.

“Jay… it’s hot… I don’t… know what to do…”

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Where the fuck were Bruce and Dick? Who was he kidding, they probably couldn’t figure out where the scent was coming from because it was fucking everywhere!_

“Tim…” Jason said, straining to keep his eyes on Roy. “ _Leave the room! Go find Dickie!”_ He used an alpha order, knowing that it was impossible for Tim not to follow.

“Jay…” There was a thump, causing Jason to finally look over at Tim sitting on his knees. His face was flushed and his eyes were drooping. “I feel so… heavy… it’s hard to move- I can’t...” 

_Why the hell wasn’t he leaving!? He just used an order so what the hell was happening?_

Jason tried ordering him again, trying not to focus on Tim’s flushed face and his skin glistening with sweat and that… that scent… it was that fucking scent… it was calling for him… it was making him--

Suddenly Jason was shoved onto the floor, the back of his head being knocked onto the side of the coffee table. He groaned but didn’t have time to brood over the pain as he blindly reached for Roy’s foot and dragged him backward. Roy growled and turned around, asserting his dominance by jumping Jason first. Both alphas sought to have what they wanted and force was the only accepted method to get it. Soon, the two alphas were squabbling, bumping into walls, knocking into tables, until eventually, they were on the ground, rolling around like bloodthirsty fools. It was only through the sound of Tim’s whimpering that distracted Roy enough to leave him wide open to Jason’s one-punch knockout to the head.

Jason spat blood on the floor and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before he moved away from his friend's body. He was going to fucking kill Roy once he woke up but could he really blame him? This smell was just… _fuck._ Jason quickly brought a hand up to his nose and started breathing through his mouth. All he had to do was wait for Bruce and Dick then everything would be over.

“Alpha…”

Jason slowly peeked at Tim and gulped. There was a file of memories he had with Tim that looked nothing like the sight before him. Had Jason been so disarmingly unaware and blind for so many years to not notice how pretty Tim was? No, fuck that, it was that scent making him think that way and the way that… Tim was… ponderously… moving Jason’s way with a slightly different scent this time around.

_Hunger and Desire_

This shit was getting out of hand. _How could he have been so stupid?_ He’d just fought off another alpha who had basically challenged him. It was an omegas instinct to think that the winning alpha would become his mate. “Tim, _stay back._ ” Not only was Tim not affected by his order, but Jason was also progressively losing his strength by the minute. The cause could account for Tim’s outrageous scent. It was compelling somehow almost as though it were forcing him to submit. In a way, Jason did just that. 

The consistent and vigorous smell had Jason falling back onto the floor, letting his weakened arm fall away from his nose. He couldn’t take it anymore, it was too intense… no omega should be able to produce this much pheromones. “Tim… fucking _leave the room_. I didn’t fight to claim your ass.” Jason grumbled in frustration; apparently, Tim didn't take too kindly to him saying that. 

There was a low growl and Jason would have mistaken it for Roy if it wasn’t for Tim speedily traveling across a short distance to sit astride his thighs. Tim was growling nonstop, pupils dilated, maximizing his scent by the tenfold to keep Jason weakened. The alpha remained completely still, for he was worried that his brother had gone feral or something. He felt too weak to do or say anything but even if he could, he wouldn’t take the chance at angering a feral omega even more. They were crazy little shits that were obsessed with marking their territory. The worst of them would kill anything that threatened them, especially when it came to protecting their young. And Tim being feral combined with a strong scent was making it harder for Jason to control his instincts… he was about to snap… 

_Like Bruce said, all it took was one slip up for his mind to go blank and he would lose control of his senses._ That's what Jason didn’t understand. Who was really in the wrong when it was essentially their instincts controlling the situation? By the looks of it, Tim had already been taken over by his but Jason, on the other hand, had to force himself to stay sane… Jason would probably never understand the reason but it didn’t matter, he wasn’t about to attack his brother. _Never._ No matter how good Tim smelled or how close he was to Jason’s neck, scenting him… Jason would never do it… never… never… _never…_

“Tim!” Jason sighed in relief at the sound of Dickie’s voice. Tim’s reaction was the complete opposite as he whipped his head around, snarling at the omega breaching his territory. 

“Jason, let go!” Bruce shouted and Jason hadn't realized he’d grabbed Tim’s slim hips. On top of that, he couldn’t let go… _he didn’t want to… Not yet… Not when his alpha wanted more._

It wasn’t until Dick ran over and practically yanked Tim off, that Jason found his common sense again. Jason quickly held his nose, watching Tim kick and scream, snarling ferally, as he desperately tried to pull away from Dick before they were out the door and around the corner. Unfortunately, the scent didn’t disappear along with them, prompting Bruce to make a quick decision and move them to the garage. After Jason helped Bruce carry Roy they made it in record time.

“What happened in there, Jason?” Bruce asked, once Roy was settled into the backseat and they were in the front seat. Jason could tell Bruce was mad by the way he started up the car and drove out of the garage. 

“I’m sorry, Bruce, I… I didn’t even know I was holding him,” Jason sought to defend himself now since his mind was clear of that smell. “But I seriously tried. I promise I did. I was-”

“If we had been one minute late, you would not have been able to hold back.” Bruce snapped once they stopped at the front gate, waiting for it to open.

Jason stiffened at Bruce’s claim. He was right. He didn’t know how it happened but at some point, he must have blacked out. If Bruce and Dick hadn’t interfered, then… _shit…_ “B, you gotta trust me on this one. That scent was not normal, I swear to god I’ve never smelt anything that strong before. It was just… too much for me to handle. Plus, I had to fight off this asshole.” He pointed a thumb toward Roy who still knocked out in the backseat.

“Jason if we hadn’t-”

“B, please cut me some slack.” Jason cut him off. “I tried everything I could. I focused on other things, held my nose, breathed through my mouth just like you taught me. I even tried to order Tim to leave the room but he wouldn’t listen. It was like he didn’t even hear me.”

Bruce hit the gas, driving past the gate before giving Jason an inquisitive stare. “He didn’t listen to you?”

“No, not at all… In the end, he was the one that attacked me.” Jason confessed as he recalled his weakened state. “It was like I couldn’t even move. His scent basically pinned me to the floor.”

Bruce grew quiet, tapping his finger on the steering wheel as he pondered a few things. “Alright, I seemed to have misjudged the situation… you did well.”

Jason huffed and slumped back against the seat. “I need that written on a plaque, B. Something that says, ‘ _Jason held off a fucking alpha and weird-ass omega all in one day.’_ ” 

Bruce shook his head. “He’s not weird, Jason. After seeing his symptoms, I can assume that he’s probably a… Prime Omega.”

“What the hell is that?”

“Are you sure I should be paying for your college classes?”

“I’m just joking, Bruce.” Jason snickered. “I know all about that old society exclusive alpha only, omega only bloodline stuff… I guess that explains everything.” He muttered, feeling a little better about the situation. 

“A Prime Omega… Heh,” Jason grinned, “He finally did it.”

“He did.” Bruce agreed. 

Even if it did almost cost Jason his sanity, he couldn’t help but congratulate Tim. He knew he’d present one day, just not in this way. An omega that didn’t listen to regular alpha orders, was feral and had an outrageously unnerving scent that made even alphas bow down. A Prime Omega… maybe Jason wouldn’t need to protect Tim at all or maybe… he’d have to start protecting him even more. With a scent like that, he’d never let anyone get their nasty hands on his little brother.

.

.

.

“Tim just-” Dick struggled to keep a hold on the unruly omega that scratched and snarled at his every attempt to pull him onto the elevator. “Just, hold still and let me-” Dick was slapped in the face from Tim’s frantic struggling but that didn’t deter him from completing the difficult task. Eventually, Dick got Tim through the door by hauling him backward and hitting the back wall with a hard thud. Dick groaned as he maneuvered his way around the feral omega to press the second-floor button. Being trapped on an elevator with a feral omega wasn’t one of the best places to be right now but it was better than trying to drag Tim up the stairs.

When he and Bruce came running out the master bedroom, looking all over the place for where the smell was coming from, this was the last thing Dick expected to see. Tim to be as feral as he was, wasn’t something a first-time presenter went through. And this smell… The sweetness of it was exceedingly cogent- almost too much for Dick to breathe in. Dick continued to wrestle with Tim, even after they left the elevator and made it to his room. At some point, Tim wrenched himself from Dick’s hold and ran to the other side of his bed, growling as he watched Dick from afar. 

“Tim, it’s okay,” Dick crooned softly. He’s never dealt with a feral omega before but from what he’s studied, it was best to release soothing pheromones in hopes to calm them down. If that wasn’t enough to sate them, then he’d have to bare his wrist. There, sat another scent gland that was mainly used for establishing a pack. Doing that wouldn't be Dick’s intent; sadly, he would be at the risk of Tim biting him there as a demonstration of trust. If Tim bit him, then it’d be the perfect time to form a pack between everyone in the house. Dick was surprised one hadn’t been formed already. 

In the course of Dick’s everflowing thoughts, he steadily made his way over to Tim’s bed. The feral omega continued to growl under his breath, nose wrinkled in interest at the aroma of Dick’s ceaseless pheromones. “I’m not going to hurt you.” Dick put his hands up, baring his wrist the closer he got. He tried crooning again, seeing Tim’s shoulders relax at the sound but his eyes stayed on full alert. 

“It’s alright… It's just me.” Dick hovered by the bed, keeping an eye on Tim before sitting down. The closer he was, the more he could see Tim’s dilated pupils, eyes shifting restlessly, missing nothing. When there was a subtle flaring of Tim’s nostrils, Dick released more pheromones. Then he held his wrist within the feral omega’s reach, hoping he would scent him. Tim should settle down once he felt safe but if he didn't, then this was going to be a long night.

The pause in Tim’s blank stare was momentary before he suddenly seized Dick’s wrist in a wince-worthy grip and began sniffing the area. Dick inhaled a sharp breath at the abrupt puncture of teeth sinking into his skin. He flinched, clenching his jaw at the sharp pain, followed by several droplets of blood. Dick tore his eyes away from the sight, looking elsewhere, particularly to Tim’s triple monitor set up on his desk. The screensaver's warm glow kept him distracted from the mark being made on his wrist and in no time, Tim minced his way up the bed, keening unsteadily as he shrank into Dick’s side.

Dick let out a long breath, taking in the new fragrance that shrouded the room. Tranquil and serene, as subtle as a floral garden intermingling with his own scent. It was the kind of fragrance that Dick could sit in for hours; a kind of scent that gave him flashbacks of the moments he shared with his mom. When he was newly presented, his mom’s scent sated his murky fever for one day before he was put on suppressants the next day. It was a hazy memory and he couldn’t exactly remember anything that happened but that smell would always be with him. _He would never forget._

Dick set his bleeding wrist on his lap, carefully making sure the blood dripped onto his own clothes before wrapping his free arm around Tim’s shoulder.

“It’s…” Tim murmured after some time with a feeble voice. “So hot… everything’s so fuzzy…”

“I know.” Dick carded a gentle hand through Tim’s hair, crooning tenderly. “It’ll feel better when I go and turn the air down, then I’ll bring in a couple of fans, okay?”

Dick held his bleeding wrist closer to his chest as he tried to shift, only for Tim to wrap two arms around his waist and harmlessly bury his face in Dick’s chest. “Not, yet…” Tim whined. “You smell so… sweet…” He hummed like a contented kitten, taking in whiffs of Dick’s scent. “This is how omegas smell… do I smell sweet too?”

Dick chuckled at Tim’s innocent question. “Yes, of course, you do.”

“Finally… I finally presented.” Tim whispered with a drowsy smile. 

“Yes you did.” Dick playfully patted his head.

“Is… everyone else happy for me?”

“They were…” _Frantic and in desperate need to find Tim before the younger alphas could._ “Surprised to say the least.” 

“Really? Was… Jay happy?”

“He was very happy,” Dick said knowing Jason would be happy once he finally calmed down.

“Jay was happy…” Tim murmured, seeming to droop as his hold around Dick’s waist loosened a bit. He was growing sleepy, Dick could feel the drowsiness protruding off of him, similar to the way he could feel Bruce’s feelings. Tim’s sensations weren't as intense as his soulmate’s but it was still present. This had to be an effect of the crescent marks Tim put on his wrist; the beginnings of a pack mark. 

Dick took the liberty to help Tim lay back against the bed. He stared down at Tim, taking notice of his flushed skin and his eyes that were no longer dilated. Tim stared back at him with heavy-lidded lashes, features riddled with hope. “I wonder…”

“Wonder what?” Dick asked, using one hand to brush back Tim's bangs.

“I wonder if… he'll like me now…”

Dick withdrew his hand from Tim’s burning forehead, contemplation crossing his mind after recognizing the other omega’s pure inquiry.

“Do you think he will?” Tim asked again, blinking slowly. “I hope he will…”

“Tim, you’re only sixteen. He’s ninet-”

“I know… but still…” He murmured sleepily, his eyes finally closing. “One day I hope Jay… I hope he will…” Tim nodded off and the lack of closure was uncanny in Dick’s eyes. He felt as though he’d been left with a secret he wasn’t supposed to hear. There was a possibility that Tim wouldn’t remember all the thing’s he said during his heat haze-- as did Dick during his-- and so, Dick was uncertain as to whether Tim would bring it up again. Perhaps he wouldn't. If Tim wanted Dick to know about his _crush_ on Jason, then he would tell him in a more straightforward manner. So, Dick would wait until that moment came and never bring it up again.

Unfortunately, there was still one problem that had to be dealt with. An omega's instinctual heat necessitated for an alpha to offer up their services. Spending a heat alone was always hard for an omega; notably on their first one. When Tim wakes, Dick wouldn’t be able to help him in that way but having an alpha’s scent would be preferable to pad the harsh run time.

Right away, an image of Jason’s room popped into Dick’s head; a room that was just two doors down from Tim’s. 

_No, he shouldn't. Should he? He could… He’d just have to keep it a secret if he did._

Dick moved on a series of good ideas by first going to the master bedroom to change out of his bloody clothes and clean off his wrist, tying a long hand towel around it for now. He would go and find the first aid kit later on after he finished grabbing a few things from Jason’s room. When he entered the hallway, Dick quickly scaled down the short path, keeping his eyes focused on Jason’s door.

“How is Master Tim doing?”

Dick stiffened at the sound of Alfred’s voice, making him wonder how exactly did he miss spotting the butler. He pulled his hand away from Jason’s doorknob and awkwardly turned around.

“H-He’s better. He just fell asleep.”

“Do you need my assistance at all?” 

“No, I’ve been studying up so I can handle it, Alfie. Thanks.”

Alfred peered at Dick with the same firm look he did the day he was found snooping around in Bruce’s office. It was as if he knew everything, as he should. Especially with the way he appeared around the Manor like a ghost; a very intelligent ghost at that. 

“It's better to use the comforter set or recently used clothes. Those fabrics protrude the strongest smells.” Alfred suddenly explained.

“You… know?” _Who was he kidding, Alfred knew everything._

“I’ve spent years watching both Master Jason and Master Tim grow up. Of course, I know.” Alfred stood tall and straightened his tie. “Master Bruce, on the other hand, will need a little ‘update,’ if you will.”

Somehow Dick felt as if Alfred had just given him a mission to complete. He’d rather not be the one to complete it though…

“Carry on, Master Dick. I will be around if you need anything.” In closing, Alfred turned around and made his departure down the hallway, leaving Dick to his prior task.

As long as he’d been here, Dick’s never been inside Jason’s room before. He was truly stunned by how clean it was, nearly spotless, compared to Tim’s. Dick looked around as he prodded lightly toward the king-sized bed. He had no trouble pulling the sheets, comforter, and pillows off the bed before he dragged them down the hall toward Tim’s room. Unfortunately, Dick had to double back after having dropped a pillow before going into Jason’s room again to grab a few t-shirts from his drawer and hamper. 

All was well once Dick dropped everything off by Tim’s bed, praying that this was enough to make a nest. Then he went to retrieve some extra floor fans from the second-floor storage room at the end of the hallway. He placed them in a similar fashion Alfred did for his heat before going to turn down the air conditioner. With everything finished, Dick turned off the lights and left the room, hoping Tim would be alright with just those things to make it through his heat. Even though Tim could use some more _personal products_ to improve his situation, Dick wasn’t going to jump at the opportunity to buy them for his little brother. Tim would have to pick those out himself the next time around- _unless he didn’t already have a few dildos lying around._

~*~

_“How is he?”_ Bruce asked, voice ringing deep through the speaker in a pleasant way. 

“He’s fine now. He’s asleep. I think he’ll be asleep for a while since he lost a lot of energy earlier.” Dick brought the phone closer to his ear and breathed in Bruce’s scent that shrouded the pillow under his head. As deadened as it was by Tim’s potent scent, Dick found that if he covered himself with a blanket, he could savor a fragment of his alpha’s aroma.

 _“That’s good.”_

“How’s Jay doing?”

 _“Better than before. I can’t say the same for Roy.”_ Bruce sighed. _“He’s not taking it well. He and Jason had a big argument that I also, unfortunately, participated in. He’s apologized to me more than fifty times now. I was angry at both of them but I cannot fully blame them because Tim’s scent was… abnormally strong.”_

Dick hummed in understanding. “It is strong. It’s lessened a bit now but I can still smell it.”

_“I went ahead and spoke to the doctor about his symptoms.”_

“What did he say?” 

_“That he’s most certainly a Prime Omega. We’ll have to get him registered as one to make it official.”_

“A Prime Omega?” Dick expressed his surprise. “Those bloodlines still exist?” 

_“I’m surprised as well.”_

A Prime Omega. Dick’s only heard of them vaguely but they’ve never been made a big deal. It was presumed that pure Omega bloodlines had long since run out since more omegas were now willing to mate with other dynamics. The same goes for Prime Alpha bloodlines. 

_“I’m going to have to look into Tim’s records, the ones before he was put into foster care, to see for myself.”_ Bruce continued. _“But Dr. Dundee was sure that his symptoms pointed to that of a Prime Omega.”_

Dick never imagined he’d meet one, not in his lifetime and what’s worse was the situation this put Tim in. His smell is resilient and far stronger than regular omega. He’d attract more alphas that way. Despite him being incapable of following a regular alpha order, he was still at risk of multiple alphas attacking at once. 

“Hey, Bruce…”

_“What is it?”_

“Can you get Tim a collar? A really expensive one?”

_“Of course. It will be the same one you have.”_

“Okay, that’s fine, I’m just…” Dick bit his lip. “I’m worried about him.”

_“It’s alright. He’ll be fine once he has a collar.”_

“Mm, I’m also worried about him being very territorial- basically feral. I’m not sure he’ll even allow Alfred to go into the room once he wakes up, considering how long it took me to get him to trust me,”

 _“How’d you get him to calm down, exactly?”_ Bruce asked, growing interested.

Dick lifted a lackluster smile as he rubbed his bandaged wrist. “I let him bite my wrist.”

_“Have you treated it properly?”_

Dick should have known that would be the first thing Bruce would react to. No, not the fact that he and Tim had formed a small pack but the fact that his wrist was injured. “Yes, Bruce.” He huffed a laugh. “Alfred bandaged it up for me. Everything’s fine.”

_“That’s good then. For the time being, I’ll be staying at the hotel with Jason._

“Okay, I’ll let you know when his heat is over.” Dick continued to rub his wrist as things entered a quiet phase. He scrambled through his thoughts, trying to think of anything to talk about before Bruce brought up something unpleasant. He didn’t want to talk about it… _not yet…_ “Mm, actually I was wondering why you guys haven’t formed a familial pack yet?” Dick finally asked in a falsely sweet voice but the question was nonetheless legitimate.

 _“When Tim didn’t present, I decided to hold it off until he did. I didn’t want him to feel left out.”_ Bruce replied warm-heartedly.

“Well, I think now is as good a time as any to form one.”

Bruce grunted in agreeance. _“We’ll form one when Tim’s heat is over.”_

Dick smiled into the phone, feeling delighted about forming a pack. He’d never been in one before. Packs were only formed through close bonds built upon complete trust and… _love_ … Dick stopped smiling.

 _“I actually used to have a pack with the clan members before I… broke it.”_ Bruce chuckled softly, guilty. _“I really regret doing that.”_

“...Oh.”

 _“This makes me think about forming another one. Actually, yes.”_ Bruce spoke as if he was having an epiphany. _“I think we should do that. We should wait until you meet all the members, then we can form one.”_

Dick hummed in response and began to knead his fingers into the wound on his wrist. 

_“Remember when I wanted to tell you about what I was doing Sunday?”_

“Yeah…”

 _“Well, I met with my cousin Kat… Kathy,”_ Bruce corrected himself. _“We had a long talk and even though it took some time, the members are now considering helping us out… Under one condition.”_

“Condition?” Dick asked with half interest as he slipped his fingers beneath the bandage, feeling the nubs of the raised marks. He slid a finger across them, feeling the bandage stretch at his strange drive to scratch the area.

 _“Dick, I don’t want you to feel offended by what I’m going to say.”_ When Dick didn’t answer, Bruce continued. _“But they want to do a… background check on you.”_

Dick ended up tearing the bandage down the middle, feeling it unravel across his bare thigh. Having grown hot, Dick pulled the blankets off his head and sat up, staring down at his phone. “A background check? Why?”

 _“They…”_ Bruce cleared his throat, speaking softer than before. _“The members don’t trust you.”_

Dick slid his eyes away from the phone and to his throbbing wrist. “That’s fine… I’m used to people not trusting me. It’s understandable.” If he’s dealt with Tim not trusting him for almost five months then he could deal with a few more people, right? It was just one more thing to add to his list of problems that never seemed to end.

 _“Dick, I want you to know that I trust you,”_ Bruce stated, but Dick couldn’t find it in himself to believe the alpha. _“I’ve told them that all of your previous actions were done because of an alpha’s order.”_

Dick brows bumped together in a scowl as he brought a hand to his wrist, thinking about what Bruce said. He was right. That’s what alpha orders do. They trapped him there and Dick didn’t like the feeling of being held hostage no matter what form it came in.

_“Dick?”_

“Mm?”

_“Did you hear what I said?”_

"Yeah, I heard,” Dick said and gently ran his fingers along the dual crescents. They were still puffy and the fluttering ache reminded him of the mark on his neck-- Dick froze… 

_"Are you okay? ...Dick?”_

“...I’m fine…” Dick lied. “I was just dozing off.” His mind felt so brittle at the moment, that he might snap at any point. He let out a slow breath, trying to control his thoughts from running rampant and he began scratching the mark on his wrist to distract himself.

 _“Well… before you go to sleep, I wanted to talk about… what you said earlier- about the… abortion…”_ Bruce had to practically force the word out. _“Were you being serious?”_

Dick grimaced at the pain but his fingers proceeded to scrape by subconscious demand.

 _“Dick,”_ Bruce called his name a second time.

“What?”

_“I’ve been talking this whole time. Have you not been listening?”_

“...I’m just…” Dick delayed, flinching as he pulled back a bit of skin. “...a little tired… can we talk about it tomorrow?”

 _“I would rather we talk about this now,”_ Bruce said in a serious tone.

Dick scoffed. “Not right now. We can talk later.”

 _“Dick, what- why do you always-”_ Bruce stopped mid-sentence and sighed. _“I want us to talk right now.”_

 _“You’re so entitled…”_ Dick declared on impulse and not once did he cease scratching.

 _“Entitled?”_ Bruce repeated with dubiety _“How am I being entitled? I simply want to discuss why you want to… get rid of our child. What is going on with you?”_

“I said I was tired. You didn’t hear? Why do I always have to listen to you?”

_“Dick, this is a serious topic. All I want to do is discuss-”_

“Tomorrow,” Dick spoke over him.

_“...Tell me what’s going on with you? Did we not make up, just last night?"_

They did just make up but Dick was so… perturbed at the moment. He didn’t know why. “Bruce, let’s just talk tomorrow.” He said but Bruce wouldn’t let up.

_“Dick, we’ve talked about you avoiding certain things, how about-”_

“I’m going to sleep, Bruce.”

_“Dick don’t--”_

Dick quickly hung up the phone before turning the damned thing off. He laid down with a huff and stared at his wrist. The sores were now opened and dripping little drops of blood again but he was too lazy to do something about it. He was too lazy to do anything really; he didn’t even want to think, no less talk to Bruce about the abortion. He wanted to avoid it. 

The entire situation was draining and Dick was tired. Lately, he was always tired. It was because there was no end to this mess. Facing one problem after another as if there was no way out. Seeing Bruce’s facial expression earlier today, Dick knew the alpha wouldn't agree with his decision. In truth, he didn't want to disappoint his alpha but he also didn’t want to bend to his will.

Why did Bruce have to say he... loved him. _Why?_ It didn't make any sense to him. The word itself and the action of feeling it was hard for Dick to understand. Did he love Bruce? Yes… maybe? No... He liked him- a lot but not… he was drawn to him… he liked the way Bruce made him feel; Bruce took away his pain and yet… they were soulmates but… he felt… strange… like Bruce was lying to him again.

And his parents… When they said they loved him, what did he feel like again? He used to love his parents right? Did he? What did it feel like when he did? He didn’t remember. Like so much other shit, he didn’t fucking remember. The only thing he could remember about love was that it made him… feel trapped… 

He’d seen it done. That sickly devotion that kept the Wilson siblings around for so long. He saw how easy it was for them to follow Slade's instructions. Especially, Grant and Joey, they were both alphas- they weren’t under any control. Nor was Rose, who was an omega- she’d never been ordered around like Dick was. She smiled, so happily, laughed like nothing else mattered and the one time she left, she came running back. That was because of love, wasn’t it? It had to be. He didn’t want to believe it because it was Slade's teachings… but it was almost impossible to unsee what he’d been shown for most of his life. Slade was right and Dick truly believed his words. Bruce wanted to trap him; to keep him here; to hold him, hostage... _just like Slade had done…_

Slade was so smart… a lot of the things he said were smart and once again, Dick was gravitating towards his ideals. And right now, Dick wanted to be just as smart as him. He’d been too distracted by trying to find his place here among the Wayne family that he’d unintentionally given up his freedom. He wouldn’t give in. He wouldn’t allow another alpha to control him, not in any way, shape or form, especially not with... _love..._

Dick immediately pushed away those thoughts and focused all his energy on becoming blissfully unaware before calling Wally. He was the one and only true distraction that would help Dick escape these confusing feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Dick will be diagnosed.😔
> 
> Comments appreciated 😊😊


	27. A Descent into Madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING!  
> Warning: Graphic descriptions of Murder  
> Warning: Graphic descriptions of Self-harm  
> Warning: Graphic descriptions of Vomiting (Added just in case)

**Blüdhaven**

**Location: Club ‘Go-Nightly’**

**Time: 22:31 P.m.**

**Status: Omega 21365 [Located]**

Beckoned by the faint club music coming from outside the door, Rose tapped her foot and sang along softly, idly toying with a lock of her hair. She’d been waiting in a private room at the back of the club for her little rendezvous; this being said, she’d been waiting for almost twenty minutes and was gradually growing impatient. At the end of her rope and so very close to snapping, Rose chose to bide her time by re-watching the same short clips of Bruce and Talon at the charity gala. She sneered indefinitely, watching as Talon leaned against the playboy while putting on a carefree smile. _That smile_.... Rose has never seen Talon smile- not once in fifteen years. Better yet, Talon hadn’t seen her smile either. Not a real one anyway; not like the one Talon was carrying as he pranced around with his mate.

_Mate_

Rose scoffed and forced herself to look away by locking her phone. Ever since Talon left, Rose had been swamped with hatred. Talon didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve any of it; he didn’t deserve a free and easy life. He didn’t earn it. Not after everything he’s done. He was just like her, Joey, and Grant who were raised to kill. They were all raised by the same Alpha, trained by him, educated by him, fed by him, and clothed by him. Her father made sure of that. She understood this when she came back to the clan after realizing no one would accept a murderer as a mate… and even though they said that they loved her… she couldn’t accept it. It didn’t feel right… it felt like something was holding her back… and yet… Talon seemed to be fine. He had everything and then some. Rose hated it. If she didn’t deserve it, then he didn’t either. Not when they’ve lived the same lives… 

The sudden ringing of Rose’s phone caught her off guard, all the more so when she checked to see who it was. In irritation, she clicked her tongue and answered the call. “Why the hell are you calling me? You were supposed to meet me at the club.”

_“I’m a little tied up at the moment. Forgive me?”_

“You’re walking on a thin line here and you’ve already failed once.” She stated as she set her sights on a massive painting suspended on the wall in front of her. “Avoiding me is out of the question.”

 _“I’m not avoiding you, I swear. I’m seriously a bit tied up at the moment.”_ There was a pause then a whisper. _“My heat came early this month.”_

“I hope you remember that our offer still stands,” Rose answered without missing a beat. “My father is willing to give you the dynamic-less drug without a price.” 

_“I’m aware of that; however, I kind of enjoy having sex during my heat.”_

Rose listened to the giggle that followed and scowled. “Suit yourself.”

 _“In any case, I guess we should get to the point. That’s why you're at the club tonight, isn’t it?”_ She questioned. _“To give me another mission?”_

“We’ve dug up some old footage and went through a series of old videos provided by my old body cams.” Rose pulled the phone away from her ear and effortlessly attached a video to a message before hitting send. Then she waited, listening to the receiver for a long while before she obtained an expected reaction. 

_“My goodness,”_ She gasped. _“I remember this day like it was yesterday, but I’ve never had such a closeup view before… The Richard that’s here sure seems very different than he does now.”_

“Of course he does. He wasn’t being swayed by his instincts then.” Rose easily specified.

_“As an omega myself, I can agree that Bruce Wayne’s pheromones are indeed attractive. Too bad for me that I don’t want anything to do with him. Well, unless it has to do with hurting him.”_

“You can do whatever you want to Bruce Wayne as long as Talon is back with us.”

_“With this footage, I’m sure everything will go according to plan… I’ll contact you when everything is finished.”_

“You have five days this time. That’s all I’ll give you.” More than a month like last time wasn’t cutting it. This needs to be done as soon as possible.

_“Thanks for the longer time limit but I assure you that I’ll only need one day. My connections with a few of the Dark Knight members remain close, so this will be over before it even starts.”_

“I hope so. Father doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” Rose didn’t either.

_“I’ve always wondered why you and your father want him back so badly. What’s so special about him?”_

“My father wants back what was taken from him. Talon was groomed to perfection to be his ideal killer… eventually, Talon would’ve become my father’s omega completely, before all of this happened.” Special, she says. Rose could admit that Talon was always her father's little favorite omega. So easily controlled, so easily manipulated. 

_“Is that so.”_

“My reasons, on the other hand, are completely different from my fathers.” Rose continued. “I’ve only admitted that to you and that’s as far as I’ll go.”

_“Well, I hope when Richard is back home safely that you’ll continue to help me accomplish my goals.”_

“Of course we will but only if you stay true to your price... We still want a Prime Omega.”

_“I’ll find one for you just like I did the Prime Alpha. I only ask that you don’t put a time limit on this one though. With how rare they are, it’ll be hard to find one.”_

“I’ll try and hold my patience. With luck, you’ll succeed very soon.”

 _“Let's hope that’s true.”_ She said with a small laugh. _“I’ll keep in touch then.”_

“I’ll be waiting.”

~*~

Dick hummed softly as he slipped his arms through a baggy long sleeve shirt. The fabric snagged on the bandages enfolding his arms but with some adjustment, Dick got them through and watched the hem unfurl over his growing tummy. He quickly cast his eyes toward the dresser, seeing the place where he put his piercings. It brought back memories to this morning where he woke up to his chest hurting, forcing him to remove the product of his impulsive choices. Dick’s pregnancy brought about things he had yet to study up on. More than just morning sickness beheld him during his everyday task. There were aches and fatigue and his nipples throbbing were just one of the more annoying symptoms. It's not like it would matter any longer. Dick wouldn't be keeping the pup. It took three days to come to a decision but at the risk of Dick outing his… strange worries and insecurities, he and Bruce made peace; as much peace as possible considering how angry the alpha was.

A ping sound diverted Dick’s thoughts. He sauntered over to the bed and grabbed his cell off the muddled sheets, readily searching for a notification. It was from Barbara. She was asking for a confirmation to do their usual session at the Manor tomorrow instead of the office. Usually, he would go to therapy on Fridays, drive back home with Jason or Alfred, and silently go on about the rest of his day. Dick never talked about his sessions with anyone, he never thought about them either. On occasion, Barbara encouraged him to talk to Bruce about their meetings, but Dick was never up for the task. 

[Shrink]-- _"Is 4 p.m. for tomorrow, alright?"_

[Dick]-- _"That’s fine."_

Dick switched screens and texted Wally about meeting up at an earlier time today, to which he gladly accepted. It would take about thirty minutes to get to the Manor from where Wally lived, prompting the omega to make a hasty decision and eat before he went out. On his way down the stairs, his phone pinged again and he only looked down once he made the last step.

[Shrink]-- _Bruce is aware of this btw. We talked yesterday. He’s worried about you._

Worried? More like completely saddened. It was three days ago when Dick hung up the phone in his face and just as Dick said, they would talk the next day. They talked… they argued, they yelled… and the longer it went on, the more Dick felt like he was losing his mind. In the end, as of yesterday, Bruce withdrew from the battle and gave his omega his _permission_ to get an abortion this coming Monday-- _that was_ _three days away._ Even so, the alpha never agreed with Dick’s decision in the end. Bruce steadily pondered on many ideas that didn’t fall through on Dick’s end. Going into hiding was the main one because the omega had argued that it wasn’t safe to bring a child into this world with assassins after him. Dick readily disagreed because, once again, he didn’t like the idea of being locked away...

_“Locked away? That’s not something I would do.” Bruce argued._

_“It’s exactly something you would do.”_

_“It hurts to see that you think of me that way. I know you’ve had problems with…” Bruce hesitated at his acknowledgment. “... with Alpha’s in the past but I’m not them- I’m not here to control you. I told you yesterday that I would work on my protective streak, but this matter is completely different because now this involves my child. It’s only because I love you that I want to protect-”_

_“Don’t say that…” Dick snapped back, his mind straining at the sound of that unpleasant word. “Stop saying that.”_

_“...Stop saying what?”_

_“Stop saying… that you... love me.” Dick felt as if he were asking for permission to break free. It felt as though that was the only option he had to make him feel better. If Bruce no longer said that word, then he wouldn’t feel confused._

_“... I’m… not sure I understand what you mean?”_

_“I don’t like it… it’s not true…” Dick held his head in his hands, trembling as tears pricked the corner of his eyes. His thoughts were whirling with dull sentiments, those of which he couldn’t explain. Everything was coming out faster than he expected but that only spurred his reasoning further along. “...you’re only saying that so you can keep me here…”_

_“...”_

_“You just… want me to be kept… I told you I don’t want to be kept. I want to do things on my own- make decisions on my own…” How many times has Dick said that to Bruce, to Tim, to anyone? He knew what it meant--being kept, being trapped-- but every time he said it, he felt lost as if the phrase was losing its meaning. It was so tiresome having to repeat it but until Bruce understood him, he wouldn’t downplay its value._

_“You want to trap me…” Dick continued. “So, don’t- don’t say that you love me...” Dick truly felt threatened by those words… just hearing them made his head hurt. Why didn’t Bruce seem to understand how he was feeling. Was he overthinking again? Should he make another compromise? No, those were beginning to feel too tedious. What if Bruce never followed them through? It all depended on Bruce though. If Bruce changed then Dick could be happy. If he stopped lying, stopped controlling him then Dick could be free. They could understand each other. But what if Bruce didn’t understand? Would Bruce keep causing him more pain? Bruce was supposed to be the one to take the pain away. Why won’t Bruce listen to him?_

_Why did no one get it? He wanted to be free...he couldn’t see it happening though… he couldn’t see this problem ending anytime soon… to be free from everything… maybe even his own life… maybe he didn’t belong anywhere. At the same time, Dick felt guilty; extremely guilty about hurting his alpha. Bruce wanted this child, but Dick didn’t._

For one he was afraid something might happen to his child while on the other hand, he felt like he wasn’t worthy enough to be a parent. What right did he have to bring a child into this world when his past was… and he felt… helpless and powerless… trapped… worthless… Dick didn’t know how to stop these feelings from surfacing. He felt like he was losing his mind. After saying that to Bruce, he understood why the alpha was worried about him and Dick knew that this home visit from Barbara wasn’t just for him. Somehow or another Bruce would be brought into the mix and Dick wasn’t ready for that to happen.

[Dick]-- " _Is Bruce going to be attending the session?"_

Dick languidly moved about the kitchen, grabbing materials to make a quick sandwich. He struggled to keep his sleeves out of the way and eventually pushed them up to his elbows, actively keeping his eyes off the bandages. He proceeded to make a sandwich and by the time he was done, sitting down on a barstool, his phone pinged. Delighting in the simplicity of flavors a sandwich could bring, Dick didn’t look at the text until after his third bite.

[Shrink]-- _He mentioned it in brief. He also tells me that you haven’t said anything to him about our sessions… One of our main goals for these past five months was for you to open up more. I would never force it upon you but some people, such as Bruce, are not attuned to understanding a person's mental health when they don’t have a gist of anything that has been kept hidden. So instead they worry about the wrong things. This mostly happens with trauma patients such as yourself. Bruce has experienced trauma as well, but your case is different. Long-lasting effects such as these tend to develop into certain mental health conditions._

The sandwich was suddenly stripped of its flavor the more Dick read on.

[Shrink]-- " _I’m sorry, I went on a tangent there… tomorrow we will proceed as normal and then we’ll bring in Bruce. Is that alright with you?”_

[Dick]-- " _It’s fine. I'll see you then."_

Dick sighed and immediately turned off his phone, stood up, and threw away his half-eaten sandwich. He washed his plate in the sink and set it on the rack before moving to pull his sleeves back down.

“Dick?”

Dick glanced up at Tim who was standing by the kitchen door. Pulling his hands away from his makeshift ponytail, he strolled across the kitchen and sat down at the same barstool Dick was just in.

“Tim, you’re up already?” Dick sniffed the air, having just noticed that Tim’s scent had lessened quite a bit, but it was still stronger than normal.

“Yeah,” Tim smiled brightly. “I feel completely refreshed.”

“Really?” It’s only been three days… usually, a heat lasted five days to a full week. Then again, Tim was Prime so the cycle must be different. “That’s good.” Dick gave Tim a small smile before moving about the kitchen to put away the stuff he used to make a sandwich.

“Everything feels… different- sort of. Mainly the scents- they're so pronounced now.”

“Guess you won’t have to be an analyst anymore.”

Tim huffed a soft laugh. “I won’t be giving up my analytic skills just because I can scent you now.”

“That’s even worse,” Dick remarked snidely as he put the meat back into the fridge.

Tim sighed blissfully. “I still can’t believe it actually happened... It's all so surreal. One thing I can say I don’t like about being an omega is the heat haze… I can barely remember what happened. Did I do anything embarrassing?” 

“Not… really...”

“You’re lying.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you…” Dick sighed, moving to put the bread into the bread box. “Your smell was so strong, Jason had to fight off Roy to protect you, then you went feral and ended up attacking Jason.”

Tim abruptly stood up, staring wide-eyed at Dick. “Huh!?” 

Dick finally faced the other omega, leaning against the counter behind him. “You also bit me… we have a little bit of a pack connection going on right now.”

“You’re kidding! I wouldn’t… fuck--” Tim began to pace. “No- I did that?” 

“Calm down, Tim.” Dick insisted, trying to hold back a laugh. “It’s alright. Everything went according to your dynamic.”

Tim ceased his prowl. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re Prime,” Dick stated simply, watching Tim’s facial expression change drastically. 

“Prime!?” Tim nearly yelled and Dick had the gall to cover his ears. “This is crazy… this can’t be real. Me?” 

Dick shook his head, chuckling quietly. “You’re so dramatic sometimes, you know that?”

“What do you expect? A rare defect turned rare omega? Do you know how enlightening that feels?” Tim suddenly gasped. “It all makes sense now; Prime Omegas have always presented later than regular ones…” And all those times where he felt as though he smelled something but he put it off because he didn’t want to get his hopes up. He read somewhere that a Primes body needed time to develop before presenting since their heats were stronger than normal. Everything made sense! But Tim never expected this to happen to him of all people.

“Great…” Tim sat back down and plopped his cheek on the counter. “This means I’ll be getting more attention than usual.” As if he didn’t get enough already.

Dick chuckled. “Can you please pick a mood?”

“This is a lot for me to take in,” Tim mumbled, hoping the attention he got was nothing like the kind Dick received from other alphas. The only attention he wanted now was Jason’s. Tim came to a pause once Jason’s name crossed his mind and what came with it was a robust scent resembling what he’d spent the last three days dousing himself in. He blushed then peeked at Dick, hesitating to ask the only question that mattered at the moment.

“...Dick?”

“Mm?”

Tim removed his cheek from the cold surface and sat up, gaze dipping, for he was about to breach uncharted territory. “Did you… did you put Jason’s... bedding in my room?”

Under the pressure of Tim’s unrelenting stare, Dick gave in and nodded.

Tim narrowed his eyes. “...Why?”

“Well…” A wary smile formed on Dick’s lips. 

Tim sighed sharply and held a hand up, putting a stop to Dick’s disclosure. “Nevermind, I don’t want to hear about it… let’s just pretend that everything I said during my haze were all lies.”

“Is this another one of your truces?” Dick inquired honestly.

“It’s not a truce,” Tim affirmed. “It’s plain respect. You’ll forget _everything_ I’ve said. You will never tell anyone. Deal?”

“So… this is another one of your truces?” Dick questioned once more.

“Dick, I’m serious here…” Tim pouted. “Don’t play this off as some sort of joke.”

“Okay, okay, I’m done. We have a deal- I won’t tell anyone…” _Just maybe he’d tell Bruce… or maybe he wouldn’t. What kind of reaction would he have if he found out anyway?_

“And?” Tim persisted further, forcing Dick to remember everything he previously stated.

“And I won’t bring it up ever again.” 

Tim’s eyes raked over him for signs of betrayal and when he found none, he laid his head back down on the countertop. “Good. Keep your promise.” He remarked a second time. “Remember when you said I was your favorite person? Well, if you tell anyone, I’ll become your least favorite person.”

Dick burst out laughing. “That’s the worst threat I’ve ever received.” 

“It’s still a threat.” Tim murmured, watching Dick grab his phone from the spot next to his head. That’s when Tim saw it, the bandages around the other omega’s hands. Then he felt something… a strange sensation. The feelings were so minuscule that Tim mistook it for his own. It wasn’t happy, nor was it pleasant- it was… practically cheerless. He realized that there must have been the bite mark that Tim put on Dick’s wrist. _His wrist_ … and yet Dick’s entire forearm was bandaged up. He briefly saw it when he walked into the kitchen when Dick was pulling his sleeve down.

Tim was relieved of that sensation when Dick moved back to lean against the counter. So… it was true then- distance did matter. “Hey, Dick…”

“What is it?”

“Are you… okay?” Tim asked, wondering how exactly he was supposed to get used to this new phenomenon.

“...I’m fine.” The answer was passive and so was Dick’s mood. “You should text Bruce and tell him the wait is finally over.” He progressively evaded the question and moved towards the door. “I’m hanging out with Wally today, so I’ll see you later.”

Tim sat up and watched him go, thinking about telling Bruce what he saw. If he didn’t, no one would, especially not Dick. He ignored Bruce for a month for God’s sake… that wasn’t normal nor were those bandages… He should definitely tell Bruce...

~*~

“Tell me again why you had another sudden impulse to get a tattoo?” Wally asked from his booth across Dick’s.

Dick looked up from the design on his shoulder that was wrapped in saran wrap and shrugged. "I don't know. Is it weird that I wanted another one?” He glimpsed at the small crowd of people walking by, prompting him to pull the stretched-out fabric back over his shoulder. They offered him a smile when they passed right before sitting in the booth behind them. 

“I guess it’s not... _weird_ , per se.” Wally looked off to the side, grabbing his cup of soda in the process. “It’s just the fact that you randomly called me up to get one.”

“It’s because I don’t trust myself to pick a design.” Dick barely trusted himself with Bruce’s card or driving a car, how could he trust himself to choose something that was permanent? Besides, Wally picked out an even better one this time. A black feather that dispersed into tiny fluttering birds, traveling halfway down his upper arm. 

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna be one of those guys who wants to cover up their entire body with tattoos? You’ve seen that one dude in that Guinness World Records book, right? That shit was on his lips and everything.”

“What’s that?”

“What’s what?” Wally peered down at his empty plate that was previously filled with a burger and fries. Soon he was pulled from his thoughts at Dick’s strange question. 

“The book you’re talking about- what is it?”

Wally glanced at the omega and inspected the seriousness of his question. “It’s... the world record book for people who’ve done the craziest things basically.”

Dick cocked his head in wonder. “...Oh, sounds cool.”

“It's cool, I guess...” Wally replied while his mind wandered back to a few strange things he’s noticed about his friend over time. Things that Wally knew from a young age, Dick never seemed to know. It’d always be, ‘ _oh, I heard about that in passing’_ but there was never explicitly something that Dick had knowledge about. Most of the time he never got excited about anything, just seemed to go along with anything and try new things that came to mind. _Was it wrong for Wally to find that strange?_ Once, Dick mentioned he was homeschooled because his family traveled with the circus but did they really shelter him that much? 

"Trust me,” Dick said after a while. “I don’t want a body full of tattoos. I just felt like getting another one, that’s all.” Dick brought a hand up to pinch his left earlobe, his smile growing wider at the dawn of another idea. “Maybe I’ll get another piercing too.”

Wally pulled away from the straw, trying to distinguish the origin of Dick’s random whims. “Yikes, you’re scaring me. I swear you have some sort of pain kink or something.”

Dick scoffed a laugh. “Not in the slightest.”

“Well the next time you want to go somewhere, it’s gonna cost you gas money. It takes too long to get to the city from your house… Tell me again why you don’t drive?” _That’s another thing Wally found strange. Dick was already twenty-five and he didn’t know how to drive._

“It’s... my parents died when I was young, so I never really learned…” Dick revealed softly. “I know a little bit but it’s... another thing I don’t trust myself to do.”

“Oh…” _Guess he spoke too soon._ “Sorry to hear that.” 

Dick nodded, hand falling away from his ear. “It's okay… um, I can pay for your gas, well- Bruce can pay for your gas if you want me to?” 

“Yeah, that’s another thing I wanna ask about.” Wally sat back against the booth, a smirk playing on his lips. “So, you’re telling me that your mate gave you a card to use for anything that you want? And with no restrictions?”

“Kinda- sorta…” Dick’s eyes narrowed a bit. “And don’t you dare call him a sugar daddy because I know that’s what you’re going for.” 

Wally chuckled, giving a half shrug. “Well, at least you’re aware.”

“Shut up.” Dick laughed along before they transitioned to another subject.

“I’m meeting with a couple of friends, later on, wanna come with?”

“I can’t, I have-- I’m busy today.”

“Well, how about you come with us next weekend? We’re going to my friend's lake house for a weekend-long trip. Think you can make it?”

“Um… I…” Dick gripped the hem of his sleeve.

Wally managed to catch Dick’s subtle hesitation, the one reaction he was used to seeing the omega have. “Come on, Dick. You even said it yourself that you don’t like staying at the Manor all the time.”

“I... I’ll think about it.”

Since the first time they met, Dick’s been cautious or more like... wary of certain things. This wasn’t the first time the omega said he’d just ‘think about’ hanging out with Wally and his friends. Maybe he just didn’t do well with meeting new people. 

“I guess I should drop you back off at home then.”

Dick quickly looked up, seeing Wally slide out of the booth. The omega immediately stood up and trailed after him, feeling troubled. “I’m- I’m sorry Wally, I’ll… try and come with you guys.”

“No need to apologize,” Wally reassured when they stepped outside. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Dick couldn’t help but think that it was a big deal. He was cautious with meeting new people especially when he had to be heedful of his surroundings. This prompted Dick to check the locator on his phone to make sure the area was clear as they walked to Wally’s car. 

“Forgot to ask, are you guys talking again?” Wally referred to Bruce and Dick’s situation when they got into the car.

“Yeah... somewhat.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Wally muttered.

“I don’t know, I just… feel like Bruce and I are having a hard time understanding each other.”

"Even though you're soulmates?” Wally looked away from the road, giving Dick a furrowed brow.

“What does that even mean?” Dick answered, fidgeting with his sleeves. “That we’re only drawn together by instinct? Fate? Something we can't even control…” 

“But that's the thing though, you two were drawn together for a reason.”

“For what reason? To make my life better? That’s not working out so well…” He mumbled. At one point, Dick felt as though he was on top of the world when he started living with Bruce. Like everything in his life was finally coming together… He felt hopeful, elated and everything about his alpha filled him with a wonderful sense of happiness. Then Dick began to realize his lack of belonging, his lack of normalcy and Bruce lying to him had escalated it… then he started becoming all the more confused about his feelings after Bruce said he loved him... It was as if something were mentally holding him back; a barrier he couldn’t breach through no matter how hard he tried. He believed his thoughts were questionable and yet, he didn’t want to question them because he knew them to be true.

“I can't comment on that because I don't know what's going on between you two. But if you really think about it, that entity or energy called fate, took the pains to bring into existence a being suited exactly for your needs. Almost like your relationship was orchestrated before you guys even met. So even if you two are having a hard time understanding each other now, in the future it’ll all work out just fine.”

Just when the traffic light turned green, Dick looked over at his friend, eyes widened a bit. “...Okay, Aristotle.” He ended up teasing him.

“Hey, I take offense to that…”

“I’m just curious to know where all that came from?”

Wally sighed, seeming amused. “If you really must know, it’s what I wrote in an essay one time.”

“Hopefully, you passed.”

“No, I didn’t.” Wally quickly denied. “I plagiarized the whole thing and the teacher found out.”

Dick erupted into laughter. “Of course it was. Now it all makes sense.”

“But hey, it was interesting, so it stuck with me.”

It _was_ interesting. What were the chances that Bruce saw him all those years ago and they so happened to meet each other again fifteen years later? They were drawn to one another. It made sense that entwining and enriching each other’s lives would take a while to get used to. Especially with Dick, whose life mind was a mess.

“If you plan on coming next weekend, let me know by Wednesday.” Wally suddenly said, with regards to the summer trip.

“I’ll let you know... And if I do end up coming, I’ll make sure to bring your gas money, and then some.”

“Think you can spare fifty thousand to pay off my college debt?”

“Why don’t you ask Bruce that yourself.” Dick gave him an offer, watching the grin on Wally’s face fade.

“Yeah, uh... nevermind, I don’t want to risk my life.”

Dick snickered. “Good choice.”

.

.

.

Dick stepped inside the house, expecting to feel Bruce’s presence. He had hoped he and Jason would have been home by now; sadly, that wasn’t the case. Dick wanted to talk to his alpha about what happened on their phone call the other day. Perhaps then he could explain himself and talk about why he reacted that way. It was evident that Bruce thought he was acting unusual otherwise he wouldn’t have contacted his therapist. The fact of the matter was that Dick wasn’t crazy. He was perfectly fine… perfectly sane… a little confused but… he alright...

With this in mind, Dick started forward before stopping short of the hallway leading to the living room after hearing multiple voices-- several of which he didn’t recognize. He slowly padded forward only to stop once more upon hearing Selina’s name.

_“She was a natural at everything, I swear.”_

_“Remember that time she bowled a strike even though it was her first time going bowling?”_

_“And Brucie sucked at it.”_

_“Shh, he can probably hear you.”_

There was a laugh. _“What? He’s not even here.”_

_“Honestly speaking, he still wouldn’t hear what you said even if he was in the same room as us if he was on the phone. You know how he is with business calls. He’s blind to the world.”_

_“It’s like nothing else matters.”_

_“Exactly.”_

_“Only Selina was able to distract him.”_

_“She was like a vixen.”_

_“She would kill you if she heard that.”_

_“She almost did that one time. Remember that?”_

_“That's right. Brucie had to break up the fight, then he ended up going off on you instead. I swear, he’d do anything to defend his Selina.”_

_“He’s one loyal doggy.”_

_“Jay told me that he's even worse with his mate."_

_"Poor guy. He probably can't handle it."_

_“Selina would be able to handle it. I’m sure.”_

_“She could handle anything Brucie threw at her. They were perfect for one another.”_

_“And yet Bruce was so set on finding his soulmate. Now, look at where we are.”_

_"..."_

_“I wonder what he's like?”_

_“He’ll be no Selina, that’s for sure.”_

_“That’s the bad thing about all of this… Bruce wants us to help out but why should we help someone who we don’t even know? Someone who took Selina’s place?”_

_“...”_

_“We should give him a chance… if only to make Bruce happy.”_

_"For me, anything besides that is a no go… he’s an assassin; a murderer, no sort of alpha order can deny that fact.”_

Dick grimaced, suddenly feeling numb all over, he could hardly move. Knowing that the members didn’t trust him was one thing but actually hearing them say it was… too eerie. There was something different about their distrust versus Tim and Gordon’s distrust… none of them brought up Selina in such a way. They didn’t compare him to her. Dick wanted to be understanding since they were all friends with Selina, but he was his own person and the one thing he hated with his life was being compared to her. He was angry and sad all at the same time and the more distress he was feeling, the more he wanted to reveal his presence.

_And so, he did._

He came around the corner, mind set on going upstairs and calling Bruce. As expected, when he entered the familiar space, scents of Alphas, Betas, and Omegas alike hit his nose and all the conversing stopped. A spotlight was suddenly cast Dick’s way and by the time he looked over, Jason made an appearance.

“Dickie,” Jay called out, walking into the room. “I was just about to call you again. Is your phone turned off or something?” He asked, putting Dick on an awkward pedestal. 

“Um… Yeah,” Dick eventually answered. “I… it’s dead- my phone’s dead.” He finally took the chance and peered over at the people gathered in the living room. One had straight black hair with bright red lipstick, casually sipping a glass of wine as she sent a look to another woman-- who looked a bit older. She had similar dark locks that were curled to perfection with one eyebrow raised as she shared a look with the other woman. 

“About time you get a portable charger.” Jason teased. “It’ll save your life.”

Dick briefly smiled Jason’s way, eyes flicking toward a man with dirty blonde hair whose sharp facial features brought out his emotionless expression. The last woman he saw-- another blonde, younger than the others-- stared at Dick with less contempt but her eyes still communicated that of distrust. It resonated in a way that must have made Jason feel uncomfortable because his next statement, would be in an effort to ease the tension.

“You should’ve picked up your phone. I was gonna tell you a few of the members were here.” He gestured toward the couches. “This is Dick, everyone.”

“Where’s Bruce?” Dick asked, completely ignoring his would’ve been, kind introduction.

“At the office for some emergency meeting.” Jason shrugged. “He couldn’t avoid it.”

“Dick, you’re back.” Tim came in, pulling Dick’s attention toward him. “I’ve been trying to call you for hours.”

“Tim, the man of the hour finally presents himself... no pun intended.” The lady with the curled black hair stood up with an air of amusement.

Tim rolled his eyes. “You guys are making a big deal out of this. You didn’t have to travel all the way here just to congratulate me.” 

“Don’t worry, Tim dear, we were already in Gotham, it’s no big deal.” The woman said. “Tonight, we’re going out to celebrate. I’ve already made reservations at Restaurant Maroni.”

“You didn’t have to do that Cousin Kat.”

“Of course I did. This is a big deal.”

Dick awkwardly stood to the side, watching everyone gather and converse in Tim’s honor. He was happy for Tim, to say the least, but he was not overly fond of what they said prior or those... stares. The same set of eyes that he’d received from both Tim and Gordon at one point; eyes that spoke of their distrust except theirs was _deeper_. The atmosphere was heavy with it.

Their lack of acknowledgment with Dick still in the room made it all the more obvious. When Bruce mentioned his clan members' distrust, Dick hadn’t taken it seriously. Now, after seeing it carved into their features as plain as day, Dick was certain this was bound to cause some problems.

With that, Dick made his exit. Jason tried to stop him, quietly asking what the problem was but the omega reassured him they would talk later. It was a half-assed answer but what more could he say or do without Bruce here? He didn’t want to start anything, hence why he ascended the stairs with his mind set on taking a nap, hoping that his alpha would be home soon.

~* **TRIGGER WARNING!** *~

**Warning: Graphic descriptions of Murder**  
**Warning: Graphic descriptions of Self-harm**  
**Warning: Graphic descriptions of Vomiting**

* * *

_“It’s worthless for you to cry Talon.”_

_Dick blinked, regaining control of all his senses upon recognizing the calloused fingers wiping away his tears._

_“The deed is already being done. There’s no need to express any remorse.”_

_“Yes, Alpha.” Slade was right. It was worthless to hold onto something that was being stabbed to death. The screams, oh the screams, Dick heard them but disregarded the deafening noise and sank another blade into the man's chest. The skin yielded so easily, tearing softly until blood splattered on his hands. It was a gushing soggy mess as he sunk deeper and deeper until the handle of his dagger was touching the broken skin. Then he felt it, that oh so familiar feeling of, breaths ceasing, screams suspending, heart-stopping. It was the ultimate pretense of reality he had been given._

_Death was real._

_And it had taken less effort than turning on a light switch to do it._

_“Perfect.” Dick froze, feeling Slade lift his chin and display a small smile._

_Perfect… Dick loved hearing those words. He always had. He knew it wasn’t true but it always made his heart tingle inside; it made him forget the blood staining his hands; it made him feel valuable._

_“Bring in the next one,” Slade announced, causing Dick to yank his blade out, crimson dotting his clothing. He stood up accordingly, not looking up from the ground, knowing it was best to keep his sights limited as to not see where they were dragging the lifeless body to. It wasn’t until another person was placed in front of him that he glanced up. Another traitor but not one that came back willingly. Sometimes Dick wasn’t aware that some traitors had already been killed because he wasn’t there to witness but other times... he was the executioner._

**_“Kill him.”_ **

_The alpha order made Dick snap to attention and at once, he was bending down in front of the man._

**_“Stab him through the neck this time.”_ **

_“Yes Alpha,” Dick responded without even thinking._

_That was also a part of his list of orders. Address Slade by his standing; his dynamic as an Alpha. Do as he says at all times. Wake up and 8 a.m. sharp, shower, brush teeth, wash face, eat, stretch, train, eat, get ready for bed, be asleep by 10 p.m. Do all these things unless ordered otherwise._

_The last major rule on the list that caged Dick to this tedious lifestyle was the simple order of ‘not being allowed to leave the clan.’ Not everyone received that order but not everyone was raised and trained by Slade either. Most were hired hunters and weren’t treated the same as the people in Slade’s circle. But no matter what standing they had in the circle or outside of it, all traitors were treated the same._

_They would all be met with a knife against the flesh by whomever Slade picked to deliver the final sentence. Their life was gouged straight out of them, leaving them convulsing for their last breath, and Dick had to watch it all as it happened. His body moved purely by an order, but his mind was still intact… he could think freely and when he found himself thinking he couldn’t stop the tears from falling. It was his mind's natural response._

_It was also his mind’s natural response to forcibly disconnect from the situation. As if he could see himself from afar, floating from above, and was also taken aback by how little it bothered him to disconnect. But when all was said and done, Dick would always be waiting for someone to save him… please, someone, please…_

_Please save me-_

.

.

.

Dick woke up in a frantic and practically threw himself off the bed as he sped to the bathroom with nausea ripping at his throat. Once he reached the toilet, he lurched forward, feeling his stomach force everything out. He retched until his vomit came out clear and his throat was sore. His breathing was rapid when he sat back on his heels and stared at the ashen tinted wall tile.

That was the first time he’d ever woken up out of his sleep with such intense nausea. To some extent, he knew it had nothing to do with morning sickness, no, not while his hands were tingling with a familiar numbness. He was afraid to look at them. He knew what he was bound to do. Dick whimpered, blinked slowly, handed his thoughts over to his misery, and looked down. 

_Burning_

_Itching_

_No no no no, please… not again… please_

“Go away.... go away please p-please....” He panted desperately, feeling tears slide down his cheeks. “Go away go away… please go away...” He cried out in distress, balling his hands into a fist so hard the tips of his nails were pressing into his skin. Where was Bruce? Dick needed him. He was supposed to take away the pain. Bruce was supposed to make it stop… 

_Bruce wasn’t here though…_

_Bruce wasn’t here to help him forget..._

_Dick was alone..._

Sweat trickled down Dick’s spine as he quickly dragged his eyes across the floor and to the bottom left drawer on Bruce’s side of the bathroom. 

_“Do you believe that you’re a bad person, Dick?”_

Barbara’s words rang through his head and led him to make a steady approach towards the drawer.

_“Have you ever felt guilty?”_

Dick pulled open the drawer, finding Bruce's shaving kit sitting next to an unopened box of toothpaste. With a gentle touch, Dick clutched it between his trembling hands and opened it.

Barbara always ended every session with the same question. Did he feel guilty…? He always answered ‘he didn’t know’ because he truly didn’t. Not until now... Everything he’d done he knew he couldn’t undo. It would haunt him… but the least he could do was make amends for it. Then he could tell Barbara that he felt guilty. His heart wasn’t able to bear all the guilt, but he felt it nonetheless. What right did he have to use these hands faultlessly?

None.

That’s why it was so easy to dip the blade in. Running it along the back of his hands, fingers, wrist, forearms, watching the bandages unravel, revealing already marred skin. He sliced over the healing wounds, seeing the skin peel back, blood bubbling along with the long open slits. His hands and arms were in shambles by the time he realized he'd gone too far. His arms trembled hideously like they were in pain, but he didn’t feel any of the pain. Instead, Dick felt like he’d accomplished something; like it was something he deserved.

All he felt was guilt before his consciousness wavered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm feeling a bit frustrated writing this story... Idk, maybe I should take a break?


	28. An Oncoming Disturbance

**Richard Grayson**

**Admittance: Thursday, June 19th, 7:27 p.m.**

**Cause of Admittance: Self-Harm**

**Diagnosis: ---**

**Additional Status: 6 weeks Pregnant**

**Duration: 72-hour Hold**

The heart monitor’s steady rhythm kept the prevalence of unease that filled the room, uncomfortable to relax in. Especially for Tim and Jason. They couldn’t relax in the awkward silence of the hospital room when Bruce's discomforting pheromones hung over their heads. From time to time, Jason and Tim would peer at Bruce, who hadn’t said anything since the doctor finished stitching up Dick’s injuries almost four hours ago; nor had he ever looked away from his omega. Although the large window behind him provided a beautiful view of Gotham’s night cityscape, nothing could distract him from searching for any nuance of Dick regaining consciousness. Whether it be his eyelids shifting or the displacement of his chest every time he exhaled, Bruce was hyper-aware of his mate’s every move. Thus far, the only thing that was able to distract him was a soft knock, the reopening of the door, then a nurse walking in.

“Who are you?” Bruce spoke directly to a nurse, who carried with her an IV bag.

“My name is Jennifer, Mr. Wayne. I’m the nurse.” With a tilt of her head, her lips formed a steady smile. “I’ve come to change the fluids of--”  
  
“Where is Dr. Dundee?”

She shifted in place upon hearing Bruce’s hardened tone. “He's busy on another floor right now.” She claimed sweetly. “He sent me in to do the more... minuscule task.”

“Leave.”

She hesitated but didn’t move from her spot. “But I-”

“No one has allowed you access to this room. I want you to leave.” Bruce doubled down on her unwanted presence.

“Bruce calm down.” Jason jumped in as he went to stand in front of Bruce and reassured the nurse that it was okay to do her work. He placed his attention back on Bruce who was boiling with infuriation and his pheromones displayed that without reservation. 

Granted, the nurse was… scentless. A rare defect? If so, she wouldn't be affected by Bruce’s pheromones but that didn't mean she was out of the clear. Bruce’s focus was directed on the nurse’s every move. He growled when the nurse touched Dick’s wrist to check the IV tube. If it weren’t for Tim and his immense, tranquilizing like pheromones, Jason was positive Bruce wouldn’t have kept his composure. What's even worse is that the nurse seemed to be fumbling with the equipment, as though she were a beginner. If Dr. D sent in this nurse himself, then there should be no problem trusting her. What didn’t make sense was the fact that he sent in a novice nurse to work on his behalf. In light of this, Jason watched her until she finished her job with a quirky gesture at wiping her palms together like she was dusting off her hands.

“All done, Mr. Wayne.” She said sweetly and faced the door. With a stall in her step, she stopped to peer at the whiteboard on the wall, her eyes widening.

After hearing Bruce growl behind him, Jason said. "Not to be rude or anything, but you should leave quickly." 

"Yes, you’re right, sorry." She averted her eyes then walked out of the room.

“I told him I didn’t want anyone I don’t know, touching my mate.” Bruce angrily groused. “I told him he was the only one allowed in this room.”

“B, you know Dr. D wouldn’t send in a nurse he didn’t trust.”

“I don’t care.”

Jason sighed at his counterproductive argument and decided to sit back down.

“Was that good enough?” Tim wanted confirmation, for he was still trying to get used to controlling his pheromones.

“Yeah, you did fine.” Jason agreed, despite the fact that Tim’s pheromones exuded wildly throughout the room. They were the ineptitude of what someone would call ‘out of control.’ _Well, at least it got Bruce to hold off for a bit._

Jason hadn’t seen Bruce this one-track-minded since Selina died. Thank goodness Dick wasn’t dead but that didn’t minimize the direness of the situation. When the omega decided to take a nap earlier today, no one could have guessed this would be the end result. The sad thing was that no one would have known about Dick’s condition if Bruce hadn’t come home right on time. 

Jason didn’t understand what it was like to feel another person's emotions but from Bruce's reaction, it must have been bad considering he dropped everything in a frantic and ran upstairs to get to his mate. After that, Bruce wouldn't allow anyone to touch Dick. Not even when the ambulance arrived. Kathy had been the one to calm him down then but if she hadn’t then things would have gone from bad to worse.

The sound of Tim’s growling stomach, effectively separated Jason from the memory of those prior events, causing everyone to look his way.

“Sorry…” Tim placed a hand on his stomach to quell the sound.

“When was the last time you ate?” Bruce, to their surprise, asked calmly.

“A little after twelve o’clock...” Which was almost nine hours ago, once Tim thought about it.

Bruce moved to pull out his wallet. “Both of you go get something to eat.” 

They stood up without a fuss, grabbing Bruce’s card before gladly leaving the tension-filled room. Once they were a little ways down the hallway, Tim released a sigh of relief, finally feeling comfortable enough to stretch and he didn't waste any more time asking Jason where they were going to eat. Only Jason seemed to be distracted by something else as he halted in place, forcing Tim to face him.

“What’s up?”

“Wait by the elevator, I have to talk to Bruce real quick,” Jason said before heading back down the hallway and into the room. A little confused and curious, Tim followed behind and ended up listening to them through the cracked open door.

_“... when I walked in the room, there was a bit of tension there. They were also ignoring him.”_

_“The members? What did they say to him?”_

_“I don’t know what they said to Dick before I came downstairs. I’m not saying that they caused this to happen but… y’know, it’s suspicious.”_

Tim heard Bruce sigh and answer in a low sullen voice. _“Thank you. I’ll talk to them later.”_

_“Sure thing, B. You can always count on me to stick up for Dickie whenever I get the chance… especially after seeing this.”_

Tim looked down at his shoes, wanting nothing more than to intervene and say he was here for Dick too but he couldn’t help but feel guilty about all of this. It was his fault… If he’d just told Bruce about Dick’s bandages earlier on today, then he would’ve been home early and none of this would’ve happened...

“I told you to wait by the elevators,” Jason said quietly as he closed the door behind him.

“Sorry…” Tim mumbled as he followed Jason down the hallway once more. The walk to the elevator was silent and Tim’s distress was ever prominent. After pressing the down arrow button, Jason glimpsed at the omega, recognizing his somber expression.

When the elevator doors opened, Jason finally asked, “What’s wrong?”

Tim shook his head. “Nothing really.”

“Your distress is too fucking strong for you to lie right now.” Jason retorted, watching Tim’s expression change completely.

“Well, it’s not my fault you guys haven’t gotten me a collar yet.”

“Don’t blame me, blame Bruce. He was the one busy with work while you were on your heat.”

Tim sighed and looked off to the side. “Whatever.”

Jason similarly sighed and stuffed his hands in his jacket pocket, watching the elevator numbers decrease bit by bit. He really didn’t want to be bothered by Tim’s mood but it was impossible not to notice. Mostly because of those strong distressful pheromones scattered throughout the small space. Fuck it. He was just going to ask.

“Seriously, Tim. Tell me what’s wrong?”

“I already told you earlier… If only I had called Bruce and told him about what I saw then he would’ve been home when Dick got there. But instead, I backed off and decided to mind my own business- ”

Jason snorted. “For once.”

“Jay, this is serious.” Tim looked up at the alpha, his features turning into a sneer. “I was so stupid.”

“You don’t need to blame yourself. ” Jason replied as soon as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

“I can’t help it…”

“Timmy.” Jason reached out and ruffled the omega’s hair. “Dr. D said he’s alright, so stop worrying about it.”

“He’s not fine, Jay,” Tim argued as they navigated their way through the hallways. “It’s obvious that he’s not fine and none of us even took the time to notice he was suffering… mentally, I mean...”

That notion seemed to sway Jason’s entire reasoning. Dick had been living with them for half a year now and if the omega hadn’t been so easy to joke around and have fun with, Jason would’ve continued to be unaware of his mental health. It wasn't as if he was completely unaware of Dick’s trauma because everyone knew he went to therapy and that he didn’t particularly like talking about his past; a past even Jason was a little perturbed by when he heard what Grant Wilson said about it. It made him question a few things. _Did they really know Dick? What had he been made to do while he was in DS?_ Jason wanted to ask Dick about these things for a while now but Bruce told him not to. It was respectful in its own right but Jason couldn’t even imagine everything Dick was going through. Whatever it was, it was getting worse...

Jason assumed that Dick talking with Barbara would help mull his problems over but it would seem that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t until they ran into Barbara in the lobby that Jason considered questioning her about a few things. 

“Tim, Jason,” Barbara smiled, stopping in front of them. “How are you two doing?"

“Good,” Jason answered nonchalantly.

“Bruce isn’t,” Tim added.

Her expression changed. “How bad is it?”

“He won’t let anyone touch Dick,” Tim replied. “Do you know how hard it was for Dr. D to stitch him up with Bruce around watching his every move?”

“Nearly impossible,” Jason commented. “But he got it done and thankfully, Dickie didn’t lose that much blood.”

“Mm, it's completely understandable. Alpha's tend to get protective when their mates are vulnerable.” Barbara took a deep breath and readjusted the satchel on her shoulder. “Wish me luck then.”

“Hey," Jason said before Barbara could walk away and gauged her with a serious expression. "Is Dickie okay?”

She raised a curious brow, encouraging Jason to explain what he meant.

“I mean… y’know… mentally?” Jason didn't want to meddle but it wouldn't hurt to know more about the situation.

“…” Barbara paused then shook her head. “No… he isn't.”

That was all it took for Tim to start releasing more distressing pheromones. 

It caught Barbara off guard, hence why she added. “With your support, he will do much much better but it’s going to take some time…”

Tim and Jason looked at her as if they didn’t believe one word she said so she attempted to alleviate some more.

“After I'm done talking to Bruce, you can all discuss this on a more personal level."

Jason frowned. "So he does have something wrong with him… why didn't you say anything before all of this happened, Babs?"

Barbara sighed and crossed her arms. "Jason, Tim, I need you to understand that we, psychologists, have to basically _study_ our patients and look at certain behaviors for months to understand them. Some of us aren't able to diagnose a patient for years. I've been working my ass off to make it to this point. I know it is very unfortunate what happened to Dick and I'm sorry I haven't been reaching out to you all more but please don't tell me how to do my job."

Jason scoffed and stared her down. "Listen, Babs, I like you, but you had better be glad that Dickie is even alive right now..." 

"... Are you making a threat?"

"It's a threat," Tim confirmed without hesitation and when Jason didn’t deny it, Barbara averted her eyes in annoyance.

“C’mon.” Jason beckoned Tim to follow.

Barbara watched them exit the building, murmuring under her breath. "I just got threatened by two teenagers…" _And they used to be so sweet when they were younger too. Why did they have to grow up so soon?_ Then again, what else did she expect? Her father always warned her about how these clans seem to focus more on loyalty than anything else. That’s what they’ve been taught to do. It’s a little suffocating once she thought about it. Still, she would never judge them for worrying. They had a right to, no matter how immature they went about doing it.

Barbara made it to room 503 in record time, knocking softly before quietly announcing herself. Past all the amenities the hospital room offered, she first spotted Bruce with his head low and hands clasped together held to his forehead.

“Bruce?”

The alpha looked up, taking a quick peek at his omega before finally regarding Barbara's presence.

“How is he?” She inquired candidly, making sure she didn’t get too close as she sat down on a couch across the room.

“He’s fine. Still unconscious.” He spoke shortly. “He hasn’t woken up since we got here.”

“Oh… I’m sure he’ll wake up soon.” She sat her bag down on the ground, seeing Bruce walk over to sit on the vacant chair across from hers. “Is your pup alright?” She asked once the alpha settled down.

Bruce gave a single nod, his gaze returning to Dick’s sleeping form. “He didn’t lose enough blood for anything major to happen. He just passed out and has some... horrible wounds.”

“I see… I’m glad he’s fine then…” Barbara waited a while before asking. “Do you know what happened to him?”

“...No, I wasn’t home.”

“I would like to make a quick guess if you would allow it?” She asked and Bruce motioned her to speak.

“...It could have been one of his flashbacks. Similar to the one you told me about before he started doing therapy.”

Bruce didn’t respond, prompting Barbara to continue.

“It's taken me months to work around certain inclinations; to recognize certain patterns, particularly with patients like Dick that are so diffident with accepting their past. Usually, it takes some years to diagnose patients like this because when it comes to revealing certain things they will go through any lengths to keep it a secret…” Barbara ceased her disclosure while she opened her bag, pulled out a folder, and handed it to Bruce.

“It’s Complex PTSD.” 

Bruce listened to Barbara utter the inevitable authenticity of Dick’s state of mind as he opened the folder. It was Dick’s file, filled with pages of symptoms and unusual dispositions. 

“Though, as an alternative, I was also inclined to diagnose him with Borderline personality disorder.” 

Bruce pulled his gaze away from the file to assess Barbara's words. “Borderline?”

“Yes…” She reaffirmed before handing the alpha another folder.

“This doesn’t make any sense.” Bruce flipped through the other file, eyes narrowed in speculation. “I know he was suffering but not… to this extent.”

“It doesn't always mean he's overly impulsive and easily angered but he does have recurring tendencies of impulsivity and recklessness. Both disorders share some of the same symptoms but I’ve been seeing Dick for months and even though I wanted to diagnose him with BPD, I will hold off on that for now.”

Bruce’s expression seemed to wilt with relief as he closed the folder labeled BPD.

“Unfortunately, I have to tell you that these tendencies do breach into the more dissociative areas of the mind…” She cleared her throat before she spoke again, knowing that she’d have to bring this up eventually. “I’ve- I’ve watched the interrogation tape with Grant Wilson. I wanted to get another perspective, especially from someone who grew up in the same environment as Dick.”

“I hope you know you’re walking on a thin line here.” He remembered what Grant said about Dick that day. As if Bruce was going to let that crazy alpha who insulted his mate have any credentials concerning Dick’s diagnosis. 

“I was only going to say there is a possibility that when Dick was tasked with such jobs as… killing… that he most likely dissociated to such an extent that it was noticeable by those around him… I know in some ways it’s hard to accept this but trauma patients to this caliber suffer almost silently. And little by little, they will start to act out. In Dick’s case, he won’t deal with certain situations the same way you do. Such as using avoidance as a coping strategy. He ignored you for a month, I believe?”

“It was a month,” Bruce confirmed gruffly.

“Yes, well, it may be hard for him to understand how to handle situations that bring about a lot of pain. He will avoid pain at extreme levels even if that means breaking your bond... Therefore, he depends on people. In his case, he wants anything that will make him feel better whether it be you or anyone else… This sadly leaves him with very low self-esteem since he doesn’t know how to relieve those problems by himself. This will also lead to him seeking out for another person who has similar low self-esteem which is probably why he was drawn to Tim, at one point.”

Barbara continued, not leaving any room for Bruce’s input. “He gravitates, Bruce… he picks and chooses who he wants to take the pain away. He’s admitted it; he knows he does this but that doesn’t mean it’s going to stop anytime soon... The piercings and tattoos are also a part of that gravitation from pain as well. They’re more on the lines of impulsive decisions that are used as distractions. It could also be seen as something he deems normal, fun, or independent, and he will keep doing it until he’s ready to leave that depressive state.” Barbara quickly glimpsed at Dick. “And when he’s ready, he may come seeking for approval or forgiveness in hopes that you'll never cause him pain again and that you’ll take it away-- as if that’s your only use.”

Bruce didn’t immediately deny what she said like he planned to. Not after recalling certain situations where Dick displayed those exact traits.

“These avoidant and depressive states can also lead him to subconsciously placing unrealistic expectations on... you, in particular, Bruce. Like I said before in his mind, your only use is to _not_ cause him pain so he may have higher expectations when it comes to how you treat him... And the higher those expectations are, the more likely they won’t ever be met which may cause him to distrust you...” Barbara mentioned, seeing Bruce gleam with understanding. “Has he ever said anything along the lines of becoming independent?”

“...Yes.” 

“Well, that’s also an unrealistic expectation he’s placed on himself... Think about it, Bruce. Dick has this idea in his mind that he wants to be free almost like a teenager going off to college. He’s seen things the world has to offer but he’s never fully engaged in those activities. It’s the _normalcy_ that he strives for. Normalcy to him is equivalent to feeling no pain. And sadly... this seems to have been purposely done.”

Bruce lowered his brows. “How could this have been purposely done?”

“To expose him to the outside world, then to take it away; to trap him. It’s almost like the clan leader was using the notion of freedom, independence, and normalcy as a gift. And if you obey, you’ll be rewarded. But only awarded to a certain extent… and right now, Bruce, _you_ are his reward on his trek back to normalcy but only in the ways he deems fit for himself and not what you or anyone else knows is best for him.”

Bruce rubbed his forehead, attempting to understand. “Does he talk about his past with you?”

“....That’s a more complicated topic. As you are aware, he does have a tendency to suppress his memories. And if your brain is too compiled with stuff you don’t want to remember, your mind will eventually push away those memories without even knowing. It’s repression at that point. Which is exactly why he’s having such intense flashbacks.”

Bruce sighed and ambled his sight back toward his mate.

“He wants to feel free,” Barbara began. “...but he doesn’t know how to live without that old feeling of isolation, restriction, and boring routine. Hence, why he remains stuck in that old feeling of being trapped even when you aren’t necessarily trapping him… Unfortunately, this will cause problems in your relationship. It is inevitable that your morals will clash, along with hypocrisy, lying, and disarray… I hope you don’t think I’m insulting him… I’m not trying to, nor am I saying what he’s doing is right but in this instance, I _have_ to be truthful.”

“This disorder is a cycle, Bruce; a cycle that comes with a lot of nightmares, anxiety, anger, depression, avoidance, and every feeling that comes along with you two being soulmates, is probably escalating the process... He’s trying to balance too many feelings at once to the point where he’s confused himself.” 

Barbara paused to take a deep breath and to recollect her thoughts. This was usually the easiest part of her job--explaining things--the hard part was explaining it in a way that Bruce would understand. 

“He has a problem with the word ‘love’… was that purposely done also… as brainwashing?” Bruce said, more to himself than Barbara.

“Yes, it’s brainwashing… unfortunately. The word ‘love’ is not processing in Dick’s head the same way as it does for someone else. Whatever that clan leader said about that word or however he may have displayed it, it's now engraved into Dick’s mind enough for him to believe it... It could’ve been displayed through constant exposure to that word in ways that aren’t necessarily privy to what ‘love’ means. Frankly speaking, he may not be capable of reciprocating a mature love… If he ever does, it will take months--maybe even years--to relieve himself of that mental block.” Barbara concluded, suddenly being overwhelmed with enraged pheromones coming from Bruce. She waited patiently, watching Bruce sift through the file once more with a scowl. It wasn’t long before he set it aside and gave the beta a deadpan expression.

“I didn’t… want to see any of this… or believe any of this. That's the truth. I was a fool for thinking Dick would come out of this without any… repercussions.”

Barbara hummed in understanding. “It’s not easy, you know. It wasn’t easy for you when your parents or Selina died, remember? I think your blatant disregard for anything grievous causes you to avoid things as well. You didn’t want to admit that Selina was dead for some time and when you did, it caused you pain. And that’s why it's hard for you to believe how deep Dick’s trauma is. You and Dick’s avoidance go hand in hand but the results are different. He thinks of you as his reward while you think of yourself as his savior…”

Bruce huffed an incredulous laugh, turning to peer out the large window.

“From your reaction, my guess is that you agree?”

“I agree with everything.” _How could he not? As wrong as it was, that’s exactly what he thought of himself to be._

“I’m glad you agree then. That’s the thing about trauma, it leads a person down many different paths. Some paths are just more… harmful than others.”

“What do I do, Babs? How can I help him-- us?”

“There’s quite a lot you can do but they’re things you have to tread lightly on.” She said, providing a small smile. “Don’t pressure him is one major thing and maybe do some ‘normal’ activities with him. Show him around the city, help him find a hobby of some sort and maybe, on occasion, tell him he’s a good person and that he has a lot of admirable strengths. But at the same time, you must be ready for moments where he will have setbacks…”

Bruce nodded. “I understand.”

“I also recommend that you don’t let him go out by himself anymore, that's too reckless. He could do worse things than get a simple tattoo or piercing. You need to offer him some alternative activity, something you can do together so it won’t seem as if you're controlling him but instead it will be seen as something you both enjoy doing. And for the time being…” Barbara lowered her voice. “I think you should restrain from saying that you love him… not until he's more comfortable with it.”

“I can do that.” He agreed without complaint.

“One more thing… I would also watch out for this thrive for revenge, he has… I’m not sure if he’s mentioned his hatred towards the clan leader to you but It’s... rather… unsettling... I’m not saying that he will act on these urges to kill without the control of an alpha’s order, I’m simply warning you that it may be possible.”

“I’m sure you know that we kill those who deserve death. DS doesn’t stand outside of that.”

“I’m aware of that, but that’s not what I’m getting at... Revenge and hatred can take your mind to some of the darkest places. I don’t want him to lose himself and start thinking more impulsively than before.” She stated, before hearing a soft groan, coming from across the room and Bruce was up and over by Dick’s side in a matter of seconds. Barbara watched from afar as Bruce touched the omega’s forehead, seeming to calm his restless sleep. 

Barbara took the time to grab her things, leaving the C-PTSD folder but taking the BPD one, before making her way to Bruce’s side.

“Keep him safe.” She said softly. “Especially at a time like this. If something happens while he’s this vulnerable, who knows what emotion will build up next.” 

_It could either be sadness or hatred… They’re both bad but she’d rather it not be the latter._

“I’ll keep a close eye on him,” Bruce said, not once looking away from Dick.

“And don’t worry, Bruce, you’re not in this alone. I will be working with him now more than ever. But I do recommend that we all meet together tomorrow to discuss some of the medications he will need to take. The sooner the better.

“Thank you, Babs.” 

“I appreciate your thanks… your children on the other hand didn’t take too kindly of me taking too long to diagnose him.” Barbara simpered lightly. “I’m glad to see you all are here for him though. This will do well with his recovery.”

“We’ll always be here.” The alpha gave her a tiny smile.

She nodded with a smile and gave her goodbyes and on her way out, she silently prayed that everything went well. After closing the door, Barbara turned around and paused, seeing a nurse standing against the wall with a meal cart at her side. She sent a smile Barbara’s way before giving an explanation for her presence.

“The doctor told me to wait until you were done talking.”

“You mean Dr. Dundee?”

The nurse nodded slowly. “Yes, him.”

“He told you I was here?” Barbara was truly surprised at that. She’s given plenty of therapy sessions at hospitals before and the nurses there have never waited until she was finished, to do their job.

“Yes, he informed me that I should not bother you until you were done. Out of respect for Mr. Wayne. He’s been rather… territorial today.”

“Oh,” Now Barbara understood. This nurse must have been having a hard time with Bruce’s temper. “That was a good call to make but I’m finished now. Can you tell me where I can find him? I haven’t been here in a while so I forgot where his office is.”

“Office…” The nurse hesitated, her smile faltering a bit.

**_“On the third floor, R. A307”_ **

_“_ It’s room A307, on the third floor.” The nurse replied _._

“Thank you,” Barbara responded nicely before going in search of Dr. Dundee to inform him of Dick’s diagnosis.

The nurse never ceased smiling until the therapist was out of sight. “Nice save, Tiger.”

**_“No problem, Rose. These tridimensional spectators really come in handy.”_ **

Rose pressed a finger into the earpiece. “They better work. My father pays a hefty price for this stuff.”

**_“Rose, the Wayne siblings are in the restaurant. I’m sitting down near them, right now.”_ **

“Keep a close eye on them, Joey- and Tiger, are you in position yet?”

**_“I’m still getting the sniper set up. Don’t rush me, we still have to wait for your little informant to send that video.”_ **

**_“I hate waiting.”_ **

**_“We know.”_ ** Tiger snorted, **_“By the way, you never told me what you did with the real nurse?”_ **

“She accidentally tripped and fell down the stairs, fracturing her skull… ”

**_“Harsh.”_ **

“Don't worry, she’ll recover.”

**_“How nice of you to say.”_ **

**_“Rose, wait…”_ **

“What is it, Joey?”

**_“Tim is… he’s drawing a lot of attention... because of this smell… it’s too strong for a regular omega.”_ **

**_“Are you serious?”_ **Tiger asked in disbelief.

Rose frowned in doubt. To have already found a Prime Omega and it just so happened to be one of the Wayne siblings. “You need to be positive about his dynamic, Joey. Get closer to him and use an order. If he doesn’t follow, then he’s Prime…”

**_“Got it.”_ **

**_“This is too fucking good to be true.”_ **Tiger laughed incredulously. 

“I would say it isn’t.” Rose retorted. “Fate is just on our side tonight, that's all.”

**_“I guess it is. We'll have to contact your father and tell him the good news won't we?”_ **

**_"I'm already on it,"_ **Joey said.

After that confirmation, Rose knocked on the door to room 503. “It’s the nurse.”

_“...Come in.”_

Bruce was standing beside Talon’s bed when she opened the door, pushing in a meal delivery cart.

 ** _"Nice get up. How much did that wig cost again?"_** Tiger teased, causing Rose’s eye to twitch.

“What is it?” Bruce asked bluntly just like he had earlier.

“Dr. Dundee wanted me to bring you some food and water so the patient can eat something as soon as he wakes up. I've put some extra stuff in there for you too, Mr. Wayne.”

“Food…” Bruce inspected the cart. “Doesn’t the cafeteria close at 8 p.m?”

Rose cleared her throat before opening the cabinets on the side of the cart and placing the tray on the top surface. “Actually, these are from the vending machine.” Rose quickly took a peek at the board she saw earlier, seeing the truth of Talon’s current state. “Considering he is pregnant, it’s best that he eats as soon as he wakes up. If you would like more confirmation, I can call Dr. Dundee down and--”

“No, I’ll take it.”

 **_“Did you say pregnant?”_ **Joey asked in disbelief.

Rose kept up her facade as she placed the snacks on the bed tray.

**_"She’s not lying. I can see it written on the whiteboard through the scope.”_ **

Rose closed the cabinets and dismissed herself.

**_“This isn’t good. Father isn’t going to be happy about this.”_ **

“Of course he’s not,” Rose muttered once she closed the heavy door. “We’ll worry about that later. Right now, Tiger, tell me when that playboy drinks that water.”

**_“He’s doing it now.”_ **

Rose smiled as she walked down the empty hallway. Everything was going according to plan. They were lucky that Talon got admitted to the hospital when he did otherwise they would’ve had to think of something else. “He’ll be out in about an hour or so, before midnight. I’ll turn off the cameras and cut on the fire alarm once he falls asleep. Make sure you inform me when that happens, Tiger.”

**_“Okay, but are you sure this is gonna work, Rose?”_ **

“Yes… Talon has never been strong-willed and like I said before, he’s very easy to manipulate. Once we render Bruce Wayne completely motionless, Talon will have no choice but to follow. He wouldn’t want anything to happen to his precious mate. And after his mate sees that video, he won’t want anything to do with Talon. He’ll have no place to run.”

**_“I better be getting paid by the buttload for shooting the prince, of all people.”_ **

“My father never goes back on his word, Tiger. Especially with you. You’ll be rewarded nicely. Just make sure you don’t kill him. We’ll be leaving that job for someone else…”

**_“You better hope this works.”_ **

“I keep forgetting you're still new to this but no matter, I assure you this is going to work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Lol
> 
> The next chapter is up!
> 
> Comments appreciated ❤️❤️  
> I always love reading everyone's opinions and predictions. 😊😊


	29. Fate Favors No one

“Dinner’s ready.”

“Finally,” Bette said, having already started filling her plate with shrimp, rice, and asparagus.

“Thank you, Alfred, for trusting me to use your kitchen.”

“Don’t think I forgot about your wonderful cooking, Miss Kane. You’ve always had quite the skill for it.”

“You’re sweet as always, Alfred, but this was just something simple.” She smiled bashfully. “And don’t worry, I’ll clean up after myself.”

“Of course, Miss Kane, I trust you know where everything goes by now.” 

“I know, Alfred.” Of course, she knew. The Wayne Manor was like a second home to her growing up. “You can get some rest now, I’ll hold things down for the night.”

“Will do. Sleep well, everyone.”

“Goodnight,” They all said in unison.

“I still wish we had gone to Maroni.” Stephanie murmured when Alfred left the kitchen.

“We’ll go once everything is back to normal,” Kathy reassured them.

“Nothing is ever normal when it comes to Bruce,” Bette said while eating a piece of shrimp.

“He does tend to always find himself in complicated situations,” Jean-Paul spoke up. “We should consider this one no greater than the others.”

“Are you saying we should be used to this already?” Bette asked.

“Precisely.”

“That’s kind of hard to do considering this situation is greater than most, given it has to do with his soulmate.” Stephanie debated. “We all saw how Bruce reacted when he came home.”

“Jean and Stephanie,” Kathy called for their attention. “You should understand what it's like to react like that the most since you’re both alphas.”

“Auntie, I think you forget that they’ve never had mates before.” Bette pointed out.

“In fact,” Stephanie added. “You’re the only one to have been mated out of all of us here, Kat. I think you would have a better understanding about an alpha’s overprotectiveness.” She paused, seeing Bette shake her head at her, forcing her to look back at Kathy who was now touching the broken bond mark on the back of her neck.

Stephanie instantly regretted what she said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up…” 

“No, no, it’s okay. That’s over and done with now.” Kathy grinned and grabbed her plate, leading them all to sit in the dining room.

“What did you guys think of him?” Kathy inquired once they were all gathered.

“I don’t trust him,” Bette answered immediately.

“I have no problem with him.” Jean declared.

“He’s… not Selina...” Stephanie said. “What about you, Kat? What do you think about him?”

“... He seems fine to me… We’ll just have to get to know him.” Kathy cocked as she thought back to earlier this evening. In all honestly, she felt guilty about him having to overhear their conversation. 

“You’re always so optimistic.”

“I mean, they’re mates for life, Bette… we can’t keep comparing him to Selina forever and maybe-” Kathy’s answer was cut off by her cell ringing. “Its Brucie.”

“Put it on speaker,” Bette proposed, moving her seat closer to Kathy’s, watching her answer the phone.

“Brucie, you’re on speaker. Is everything alr-”

 _“_ _What exactly did you all say to my mate?”_ Bruce asked right off the bat, catching all the members off guard.

Bette broke the silence with a soft laugh, answering before Kathy could say anything. “We didn’t say anything to him, Brucie.”

_“Jason informed me of your complete disregard of his presence when he came home today. Tell me what you said.”_

“Brucie darling,” Kathy stepped in. “We didn’t know he was listening to us at the door. We didn’t hear him come in. At the time, we were already in the midst of talking about Selina and our distrust for him. If we had known he was there, we would’ve never said any of those things.”

 _“Selina…”_ Bruce sighed. _“That is the last person you should be bringing up as of right now.”_

“We were just reminiscing, is all.” Stephanie defended. “Are we not allowed to do that?” 

_“Do it on your own time and not when you're in my house.”_

“If I recall correctly when Selina was alive, this was everyone’s home. What’s so different now?” Bette argued with irritation.

_“My mate, tried to kill himself today and you’re asking me what’s different now?”_

“We’re sorry Brucie. It was nothing more than harmless chit chat, really.” Kathy attempted to ebb the unrest. 

_“I don’t care what it was.”_ Bruce snapped. _“Dick is vulnerable, I don’t want him hearing things like that.”_

“You cannot blame us for what happened today, he’s obviously mentally unstable.” Bette contended.

_“And why do you think that is? I told you he was under control and you undermined him like children. Bringing Selina into this of all things.”_

“Brucie-”

_“You were all angry when I didn’t move on after her death and retired early. You all tried to convince me to bring the clan back and now that I’m abiding by your wishes, you have something to say about who and what I’m doing it for?”_

Everyone at the table gave each other looks, not knowing how to respond.

_“I’ve already admitted that I was wrong for pushing you all away but this doesn’t give you the right to judge who I alliance myself with... I’ve finally moved on and this is what you all do- sit there in my house and compare my soulmate to Selina? Dick and I are mated now, and no matter the amount of distrust you have for him, you will not disdain him, you will not talk down on him, and you will never bring up Selina again... Treat him with the same respect you would treat me. If you don‘t, then I’ll have to ask you to leave my home- matter of fact, I want you all to leave my house tonight. And you will not be invited back until Dick allows it.”_

“...Bruce,” Stephanie started. “We can resist our friendly nostalgia about Selina for a while and apologize to Richard formally when--”

_“Don’t. Your half-assed apologies won’t be worth a damn. And if need be, I’ll pay for all your hotel expenses just so you won’t be there when we get home.”_

Bette huffed in annoyance and stopped eating her food after having lost her appetite. “...Alright, we get it, we’ll leave.” 

“Call us if you need anything and we’ll call you if something happens-” Kathy said only to be cut off.

_“Don’t call me for the time being.”_

When Bruce abruptly ended the call, they all stayed silent, eating scarcely until Kathy made them help her clean the kitchen. During their bustle of cleaning and packing, Kathy had to admit to herself that things were different now… they would just have to accept it. She had already given thought to something like this happening a long time ago. There was always a chance of Bruce finding his soulmate again and when he did, Selina, without a doubt, would’ve been pushed to the side. It was inevitable. So of course Bruce wouldn’t accept any excuses. Jean and Stephanie should understand this the most and within a week or two, they should come around. As for Bette, she would be the hardest one to convince of Dick’s credence.

“We’re seriously leaving?” Bette said as she got into the passenger seat of Kathy’s car.

“We don’t have a choice. We don't want to anger him even more.” Kathy started up the car and turned down the radio.

“He seems happier now,” Jean said from the back seat. 

“To me, he seems…” Bette crossed her arms. “...different.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Kathy wondered.

“I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”

“Wait- guys, I just got a text from Holly,” Stephanie announced suddenly.

“What?” Kathy was the most astonished out of all of them.

“Here,” Stephanie handed Kathy the phone from the back to the front seat. “Read what she said.”

[Holly]-- Hey Steph, it’s been a while. I wanted to know if you were with Kat at the moment? If not, can you contact her for me? I desperately need to talk to her right now. 

“She’s probably texting Steph because you blocked her, remember?” Bette said as she also read the text.

“That’s right… I did.” Kathy muttered as she texted Holly back on Stephanie's phone. She still didn’t forgive her or Rex for blaming Brucie for being the cause of Selina’s death. Especially when Holly was nowhere to be seen that day five years ago. She came to the Manor two days later and when she found out what happened to Selina, everything went downhill from there. 

[Stephanie]-- This is Kathy. What do you want?

About a second after Kathy sent the text, Holly was calling them. “Why is she calling?”

“I hate it when people do that,” Stephanie complained and Bette agreed.

“Just answer. I want to see what she wants.” Bette encouraged her aunt and Kathy conceded just so she could get it over with.

_“Kat?”_

Kathy almost didn’t recognize Holly’s voice after going so long without hearing it. “Holly… it’s so... random for you to be contacting us after all these years.”

_“Yes, I-I’m sorry about that...”_

Kathy had the sudden urge to hang up the phone. She didn’t believe that apology for a second, especially from someone like Holly. Holly didn’t grow up with Selina like Bruce and Kathy did. She joined the group when they were all in their early twenties and she was always quiet, only talking when she needed to. She wasn’t like that with Selina, though. Somehow or another, they were always laughing at something and going on little road trips at every chance they could get. Kathy never understood why she found Holly to be... strange. Even more so when she blabbed about Bruce’s mishaps to Rex Calabrese. After that, Kathy thought of Holly as nothing more than a little snake who always told half-truths and did little in terms to help out the clan. Kathy never understood how she and Selina became best friends. Guess she'll never know.

“What do you really want, Holly? If you’re wanting to join the clan again, that’s not going to happen especially after everything you did.” Kathy declared.

_“I-I’ve been meaning to apologize to you all for some years now... I hope we can reconnect again…”_

Kathy shook her head and scoffed. “Unbelievable… What? You expect us to forgive you right away?”

_“...No- it’s just…it’s not like that...”_

Bette took the phone away from Kathy, after viewing her constant irritation and put the call on mute. “Let’s just listen to what she has to say.”

“I don’t want to hear what that bitch has to say.”

“She wouldn’t call us up for nothing,” Stephanie commented, agreeing that they should hear Holly out.

“I also think that we should listen,” Jean piped in, sealing the deal with three against one.

Kathy sighed and gestured for Bette to unmute the call.

“Hey, Holly?” Bette said. “I hope you don’t take offense to this but can you make this quick?”

 _“I-I’ll try.”_ Her voice cracked and everyone could tell she was crying. _“I’m sorry for causing trouble but I… I don’t know who else to tell_.”

“What happened? Are you okay?” Bette asked?

_“Yes… no…”_

Kathy’s frown was accompanied by another scoff. “We don’t have all day for this, Holly.”

_“I-I just received a video… from... Risen…”_

Everyone looked at one another, alerted by Holly’s admission.

“Risen… how?” Jean was skeptical. “They were all killed that day. We double checked everything.” 

“What video are you talking about?” Kathy questioned suspiciously. “And why would they send this video to you and not everyone else here?”

 _“It’s…”_ Holly sniffled. _“I think they believe I’m still a part of the clan and that's why I think they sent it… but... it’s that omega Bruce mated with… he… I can’t- I can’t say it.”_ Holly continued crying.

“A video of Bruce’s mate? Richard?” Bette sat up straighter, now a little more interested. “Send us the video.”

It wasn’t long before a text came through and they were all faced with a scene of fire and blood. Thrown into the mix were dead bodies of Risen members that Kathy remembered seeing laying on the ground… five years ago.

_“Rose.”_

Kathy held her breath as soon as Richard came into view with his hair longer and face a bit younger. And his eyes… they were… sallow looking, almost like glass… dead just like the litter of bodies surrounding him.

 _“Get it over with,”_ He said, his voice monotone and tremulous. _“We need to report back to the Alpha.”_

 _“You of all people know how I like to take my time, Talon.”_ The owner of the other voice must have been the person that had the body camera.

_“We don’t have time for this, though. The cops will be here soon.”_

_“Just give me a-- oh! Look, Talon,”_ The body camera suddenly turned toward a woman being crushed by debris _. “She’s trying to move away.”_

Everyone gasped, distress from Bette and Kathy swirling its way inside the car.

“Oh my god,” Bette whispered.

“Selina…” Stephanie muttered with her eyes staying glued to the screen.

 _“Just do it already,”_ Richard said in the background.

_“You’re no fun, Talon.”_

_“I--… come-- DS.”_

_“Did you just say DS?”_ There was a sword suddenly at Selina’s neck. _“How do you know about us?”_

 _“Rose, enough! Kill her.”_ Though Richard was nowhere in sight, his heartless command struck all the members' ears in a way that no one could explain. It was then they watched Rose deliver the final blow, riddling Selina lifeless. The camera moved along with Rose, showing a brief glimpse of Richard standing there, looking at Selina with eyes that didn’t have a soul. Then the video ended and they were all left sitting there in disbelief. Some with doubt, others with sadness, and one with absolute hatred.

“That bastard…” Bette spoke darkly, shaking with rage. “He fucking killed Selina!”

~*~

Dick’s consciousness stirred, first by shifting his legs, feeling an unfamiliar sheet touching against his skin. Then he became aware of the cold air wafting over his face and a familiar dense odor. He blinked, seeing nothing but a dim blue light hitting the ceiling tiles. _Where was he?_ In a panic, he put pressure on his hands to sit up before yelping softly, face closed in a grimace.

“Shh,” There was suddenly a hand touching his shoulder then he was carefully pushed back down. “Stay still, don’t move your arms.”

Dick blinked again and averted his gaze away from the ceiling to find his alpha sitting next to the bed. “Bruce…?” He felt instantly relieved that his alpha was there but he was still confused about his whereabouts. “Wha-… Where am I?”

“You’re at the hospital,” Bruce said, his calming pheromones ever-present.

 _Hospital? Why?_ Dick tried moving his arms again, feeling them tremble on his journey to pull them out from under the covers.“Don’t move,” Brue said calmly, placing a gentle hand on his arm until it was once again flat against the bed. “Stay still, for now.”

 _Dick didn’t understand. What happened to him? Why were his arms and hands so stiff and numb with pain?_ He flexed his fingers and groaned, causing Bruce to lean over him and press a button on the hospital remote. 

“He’s awake.” The alpha murmured before sitting back down and soothing his omega.

“Bruce?” Dick said again, relaxing into his alpha’s soft touches. “What happened? Why am I in the hospital?”

Behind Bruce, the door opened followed by the lights flickering on. Dick squinted so his eyes could adjust. “I’m glad to see you’re awake, Dick. How do you feel?”

With his vision somewhat clear, he followed the sound of Dr. Dundee’s voice. That's when Dick spotted him writing something on the whiteboard hanging on the wall across the room.

“He says he doesn’t remember what happened,” Bruce answered. 

“Ah, that’s quite normal.” The doctor recapped the marker and crossed the room. “It’ll take some time but in a few days, he should remember.”

“A nurse came in earlier. I told you I didn't want anyone I don’t know in this room.”

“Yes, of course, Mr. Wayne.” The doctor replied while checking the monitor next to the bed. “But she is someone you can trust. She won’t tell anyone, I can assure you of that. You’ll need her since I won’t be available at all times.”

Dick drowned out the sound of their voices, bringing his focus away from the doctor and to the abandoned whiteboard.

_Richard Grayson_

_Admittance: Thursday, June 19th, 7:27 p.m._

_Cause of Admittance: Self-Harm_

_Diagnosis: C-PTSD_

_Additional Status: 6 weeks Pregnant_

_Duration: 72 hours/Appended if unstable_

“Dick, can you tell me what you remember last?”

Startled by being addressed, Dick looked over at the two sets of curious eyes. He took a nervous breath and carefully ordered his remembrances. “I… I came home looking for Bruce then I took a nap.” He deliberately skipped over meeting the clan members.

“Anything else?”

Dick shook his head, attempting to through his muddled thoughts before asking, “Can you tell me?”

“Would you feel more comfortable with me telling you or Mr. Wayne?”

“You... please.” He couldn’t even look at Bruce at the moment. He was feeling self-conscious for some reason. Even more so when he found out he’d been found in the bathroom passed out with blood everywhere.

“You lost quite a bit of blood and we had to stitch you up. I suggest that you don’t use your hands and arms until our next check-up... in about three weeks or so.” The doctor concluded. “And don’t worry, your pup is completely fine. If you want, my nurse can do an ultrasound so you two can hear the heartbeat. Would you like that?”

“No… just...” Dick’s eyes shifted to the side. “Please, that’s enough. Thank you.”

“Alright, then I’ll have my nurse bring in some pain medication.” He told Dick but it was mainly directed towards Bruce, who was still territorial. “Then she will come by every two hours to check your pain levels.”

Dick nodded before the doctor motioned for Bruce to follow him out the door. Before saying anything, the doctor closed the door all the way to reassure their privacy. “I’m going to be completely honest with you Mr. Wayne.”

“About what?”

“From a medical standpoint, I think it’s best to hold off on having children until he is more… stable.”

Bruce couldn’t help but frown and tried to dismiss him. “That’s enough for tonight.”

“I’m not trying to offend you, Mr. Wayne. I’m talking to you as a professional. If you had been more than ten minutes late then I’m not sure that baby would have survived. If this happens again then… doctors such as myself will have to step in and-”

“... We’ve already made plans for him to get an abortion.”

With that revealed, the doctor stood aback. “Ah… I see.” He clapped Bruce on the shoulder. “I know this is a very difficult situation but I’m sure fate has other plans for you two.” He gave one last smile before leaving.

Bruce sighed in frustration and faced the door, clenching his fist before he walked back inside. The first thing he saw was Dick standing beside the chair Bruce had been sitting in when he was talking to Babs. It was also the same chair where he’d left the omega’s diagnosis files.

“Dick,” Bruce said as he crossed the room. “You shouldn’t be up.” He stood beside the omega, eyes drawn to his shivering hands as he turned another page of the file. “Let me help you.” Bruce brought a hand to the top of the folder, gently pulling it out of Dick’s injured hands. “Let's sit down and read, okay?” He placed a hand over the omega’s shaking arm, causing Dick to glance his way, making eye contact. 

Dick then looked away, upon seeing the alpha’s worried eyes. “I’ll look later…” He muttered, focusing more on the sour taste in his mouth. “I need to brush my teeth.” This prompted Bruce to call in the doctor to ask for some toiletries. 

The events that followed were incited by an overly concerned alpha not letting Dick do anything by himself. Everything from standing, to walking, to sitting down, Bruce made sure he made it everywhere in one piece. The only difference was that Dick didn’t complain this time around. There was no need to, not when the omega could barely discern his own state of mind. 

_He was so confused. He wanted to remember what happened? Was it another nightmare? A memory?_ He looked down at the medical bandages on his hands and arms. He really wanted to see what it looked like underneath. _How bad was it to make his arms tremble like this?_

“Dick…” The omega peered up from his spot on the bed, feeling Bruce grab his hand, gently rubbing a thumb on the back of it. “What are you thinking?”

Dick hesitantly shook his head, muttering a soft. “Nothing… can you lay beside me?”

“Of course.”

Dick couldn’t be happier that they were both able to fit in the bed; it was a snug fit, but Dick didn’t mind. What he did mind was being stopped, in an attempt to turn onto his side and wrap his trembling arms around the alpha’s torso. Bruce wouldn’t have that though; thereby, forcing Dick to merely lay on his back with a frustrated huff.

“Relax, pretty bird. I’m right here.”

“What’s the point when I can’t even hug you?” 

Bruce leaned down and bumped their foreheads together, bringing a thumb to brush against Dick’s chin. “Relax… I don’t want you getting worked up by that… I’m right here.”

Dick nodded slowly, settling for just being able to feel Bruce next to him. It wasn’t long before the alpha kissed the crown of his head, resting there for a moment before pulling back.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

Dick placed his hand over Bruce’s and linked their fingers together. “...I’m sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t mean for it to go this far.” _He wasn’t trying to kill himself, right? Or maybe he was. He couldn’t remember_. All he could do was speculate on what he'd been trying to do. Harming himself was the easiest way possible to repent for his wrongdoings and also his only escape from life.

“This isn’t the first time this has happened… where I've woken up not remembering anything from the night before with scars and bleeding…” Dick stared into Bruce's eyes, keeping watch of his drowsy expression. His alpha, who was once so worried, now seemed intent on listening; hence why he continued.

“When I was fifteen or fourteen… Slade deemed me ready to go out on a mission by myself. It was the first time I heard a series of orders said in such a specific way that I knew it was impossible for me to detour from that path… He told me to drive to a location within twenty-one minutes.” Dick’s tightened his quivering hold around Bruce’s hand, not sure he wanted to go on. But what was the point in stopping now when he’d already started?

“... One thing I learned about these alpha orders is that they don't account for anything that might happen outside of itself. Like a coincidental happening of maybe getting pulled over by the cops or for someone to be walking out onto the street at the wrong time…” Dick took a shuddering breath. “...and that's what ended up happening… It was a coincidence, really… I didn’t mean for it to happen… but it did... I ran over someone- whoever it was… and I didn’t look back.” The gravity of that admittance weighed heavily on Dick’s heart. It caused more memories to flash through his mind, ones that he could never explain with words; ones that he didn’t want to talk about.

“It was because the order wouldn’t allow me to stop the car- I had to get to that _specific_ location within that exact timeframe,” Dick explained further. “It was my first time driving too. I had to figure out the controls for myself all while that order was being monitored by the schedule of my mind. That’s the only way I can explain it- it was like a _schedule_ ; a _timeline_ that’s more set than fate will ever be…”

“I don't think other alphas; realize how easily they can manipulate an order in that way. There’s a difference between telling someone to drive to a certain location versus putting a timer on getting to that location... That’s what set me off- the fact that he was playing with me… that’s what he’s always done… played with me… he manipulates people for fun. At some point, I grew tired of it all. I was so tired of being stuck in that manipulation that I… I did what I did here… I tried to kill myself…” 

A disbelieving smile dangled on the corner of Dick’s lips as he recalled his naive actions. “My mistake with that was going back to the base to do so… because I-I wanted Slade to see how far he brought me, how much he destroyed me… And so I harmed myself but when I woke up, I couldn’t remember anything except for Slade, sitting at my bedside, setting up another order, one where I…” Dick curled his lips with icy contempt. “One where I would _never_ be allowed to injure myself for as long as I was under his control…” 

“...Do you know how it felt for me to be free from every single order he’s placed on me? When I met you, I didn’t even realize those orders had completely vanished and when I did, I felt like I had control over my life again… but honestly, something always felt off- like I was missing a piece of my mind; a piece of my existence…” Dick scoffed a weary laugh before conceding. “It was those orders… I felt so empty without them. I still do... but even so, I still tried to convince myself that I wanted to do things on my own- to be included in your family… I tried to be normal. But the more I realize how separated I am from you and society, the more I realize that I… I don’t even know who I am anymore.” Attaining the answer caused Dick to close his eyes and shed a tear. 

Dick felt Bruce wipe away his tears and that's when the omega noticed his alpha’s lack of emotional response. He could read the alpha’s face but his emotions were almost non-existent. _He was hiding them._ Dick was happy about that. He’d never felt more relieved to not have felt Bruce’s painful response. It would have made talking about this even harder than it did now. Right now, his alpha’s calming pheromones were enough for him to keep going on.

“There’s another part of myself that you haven’t seen, Bruce…” _Another part where he didn’t allow any emotions to get through…_ “I’m not sure if you’ll like that part.” Dick stared into his alpha eyes as sorrow closed his throat causing his voice to crack. “I never want you to see it- I know I’m already a burden enough. Because what more could I do to make your life more difficult than by telling you about my past? You’d hate me… you’d leave me… I’m sorry…” Dick wept quietly with tears sliding down his cheeks, staining the pillow beneath his head. “I’m sorry, Bruce… for being like this… for being a worthless and awful person.” He felt like he was crumbling from the inside out. 

“Shh…” Bruce soothed him, bringing him closer into an embrace. Dick cried into his chest finding it impossible to forgive himself. He felt like he was a poison that was steadily killing its user and those unfortunate enough to know about his past would die along with him. He didn’t want to drag Bruce down with him but he couldn’t bring himself to leave him. His soul would break into pieces if he did. 

“None of this is your fault.” Bruce began, pulling Dick out of his insecurities. “You don't need to apologize for this- any of this. You’re the one that’s been harmed; the one that’s been wronged. You’re not worthless or awful; you’re none of those things; you never will be…” The alpha whispered reassurances in his ear. “You’re in pain and I’ve realized that no matter how bad I want to, I can't heal your pain completely... but what I can do is to help you to heal yourself.”

Dick looked up at Bruce, blinking away his tears, listening to his alpha’s loving dedication.

“And never doubt my commitment to you. I do want you. I will always want you. Believe in me when I say that you are a part of _my_ family; my mate for life, and I will never leave you alone...” Bruce looked down at him with a stunning seriousness that Dick had never seen before. “Instead, I’ll join you in that pain I know you bear, listen to whatever you have to say, and try and understand how you feel until the very day you are finally able to find peace.”

Dick could feel heat crawling up his cheeks as Bruce's words rang true in his heart and soul. He was smiling on the inside and his heart was fluttering as his anxiety was slowly peeling away. It was like the sunlight emerging from the horizon, awakening a strange new sensation he’d never had before. _What was this?_ Whatever it was, Dick didn’t mind feeling it. He’d suffer through this warm feeling for the rest of his life if he could. Dick relaxed in that feeling with his face buried in Bruce’s chest, making sure that all of this was real.

“You don’t know how happy it makes me feel to hear you say that…” Dick brought a trembling hand to Bruce’s cheek, shifting himself until their faces leveled one another. “I’m so glad to have met you, Bruce- you, Jason, Tim, and Alfie… without you guys, I’d still be lost.” He didn’t want to be lost any longer. He wanted to be with Bruce for the rest of his life. He wanted to stay at the place he called home. And when he was capable, he wanted to accept all of Bruce’s love. He would do anything to make that happen… “I know it’ll be hard but I’ll try and work through this- to help myself... I promise.” 

Bruce kissed the palm of his hand. “We’ll work through this together.”

Dick abandoned the means of being careful with his arms and wrapped them around Bruce’s neck. He pressed their lips into a lazy and heartfelt kiss, filled with warmth and devotion. Dick couldn’t bear the thought of not being close to Bruce, right now, for he was his other half; the part that made him whole. They were stuck together as if they were sealing a promise of much more to come.

Dick moved to cup Bruce’s cheek, pulling himself closer until they were chest to chest. The sparkings of something else had him hiking up his leg around Bruce's thigh, whimpering softly.

“Dick,” Bruce said against the omega’s lips.

“Mm?” Dick hummed into his mouth, feeling Bruce place a hand on this thigh then gently push it off.

“You’re injured.”

“Just a little more.” Dick murmured, proceeding to kiss his alpha.

Bruce chuckled and pulled back. “We’re at the hospital, right now.”

“Bruce…” Dick whined, burying his face in Bruce’s neck. “Just a little more. For me?”

“I think I’ve spoiled you too much for you to think _that line_ will work every time.”

Dick smiled against the alpha’s throat and placed a kiss there. “You’re no fun sometimes, Bruce. You’re like an old man.”

“You should learn to respect your elders then.”

Dick couldn’t help but snicker in hysterics and look into his alpha’s tired eyes. There, he let his mind wander to the future of what’s bound to come. One day they would come face to face with Slade and Dick knew that every emotion buried in the back of his mind would be released at that moment... “Bruce?”

“What is it?”

“I wanna let you know that you can protect me as much as you want…” The omega spoke softly. “As long as you let me protect you too, in any way that I deem necessary.”

“What are you saying?” Bruce inquired lightly.

“I’m saying that no matter what happens, you’ll trust in my actions no matter how I may handle something…”

“Dick,” Bruce furrowed his brows. “I want you to explain what you mean by that.”

“...I want to kill him.” Dick easily admitted. “And I want to do it in whatever method that I see fit… I don’t want you to think of me any differently when I do… You’ve seen me fight on a few occasions, one I don’t necessarily want to remember but… It’s the part of myself that I don’t want you to see… what Grant said about me at the interrogation was true…” Dick admitted once more. 

Bruce peered at his omega, knowing he was talking about the part where Grant called him deadly and ruthless. Then Barbara’s warning about Dick’s strive for revenge rang through his head. 

“Dick… I…” The words died on Bruce's lips and he sighed. “Let’s not stress ourselves out about this right now… we’ll talk more about it when you're better. I promise.”

Dick gave a small smile and concurred. It _would_ be better to talk about this when he wasn’t in the hospital. Soon after the omega agreed then Bruce insisted on him laying back in his former position as to not rip out his stitches. Dick obliged, thinking that he should be able to get used to his alpha’s fussy protectiveness. He shouldn’t try to change who Bruce was...

“About your driving,” Bruce spoke after they both got into a comfortable spooning position. 

“What about it?” Dick asked while looking out of the massive hospital window, gazing at the night sky.

“Would you like me to teach you?”

“Teach me?”

“Yes- the proper way to drive. And whatever else you want to learn how to do, I will teach you that as well. I know you’ve taken to reading things online but that cannot compare to real-life experiences.”

Dick let out a chuckle. “Bruce, I think you’re doing something risky here. Do you even know how many things I want to try? A million, at this point.”

“What do you want to do the most?” Bruce asked, his tone seeming to droop with drowsiness.

Dick pondered for a bit, his thoughts stopping on the memory of his parents. “I want to fly again…” He smiled. “On the trapeze… I haven’t done it in so long…”

“I’ll make sure... that… happens.” Bruce said sleepily before closing his eyes.

“It would also be nice to go skydiving… or hang gliding. Something adventurous like that… then maybe we can finally… go on a real date? What do you think?” Dick asked timidly, waiting for Bruce to answer. 

“Bruce?” Dick called, hearing nothing but silence. “Did hear me?” Dick turned just enough to see his alpha fast asleep.

_He fell asleep on him… Bruce had never done that before no matter how tired he was. He must have drained a lot of energy. Well, after everything that happened tonight, it made sense that he’d be tired._

“Good night, big guy.” Dick settled back down with a huff, grumbling a soft, “I'll still be here when you wake up."

Dick didn’t end up falling asleep when Bruce did. He stayed up and messed with his phone, searching up various things like he often did. After a while of packing his brain with trivial information, he had half a mind to go to sleep as well, if only he hadn’t run into one article in particular. 

_‘Is Rex Calabrese being called out for bad business practices?’_

Dick readily clicked on the article that came with a video. Even though Bruce was a hard sleeper, he lowered the volume and pressed play, eyes scanning the familiar Gotham news interview set up.

_“Why does an Alpha own a suppressant company and not an Omega? What right do Alphas have to create a heat suppressant made for Omegas? None. We were all happy when Selina wanted to take over the company. She would’ve been the first Omega to have owned a suppressant company ever. Since she died, we no longer have a higher society Omega to vouch for us anymore. Because of that, we’ve stayed quiet knowing no one would believe us but that's over and done with. I’m talking to all Omega’s here when I say this- If that Surge suppressor is causing you pain, please speak up.”_

_“Well you heard it there, she’s- uh what’s your name again?”_

_“Again, I’m Linda Park, an up and coming reporter- and before you go, I would like to say one more thing please.” She said before clearing her throat and looking directly into the camera. “Rex Calabrese, do you honestly think we wouldn’t know that it was you who’s been trying to cover this up? Who else would it be? Well, as hard as you may try, it won’t last for long. That’s why I would like to be the first one to say this… Fuck You Rex Calabres--”_

The screen cut to black before switching back to the anchors who shared equally shocked looks. 

_“Wow… that was…”_

_“She seemed mad.”_

_“My guess is she’s calling out to one of the higher society Omegas to represent them.”_

_“Yes, well we’ve got quite a list here in Gotham. There are a lot of A-list celebrities out there--”_

_“Don’t forget business owners. Like that one Omega who’s make-up brand is trending on every platform, right now.”_

_“Speaking of owning businesses, we can’t forget about our very own prince, Bruce Wayne.”_

_“Ah, that’s right, and his mate, Richard. He’s, without a doubt, a high society Omega, being with Bruce Wayne and all.”_

_“No, I wouldn’t consider him ‘high society’ just yet. Not until he uses the last name ‘Wayne.’ A wedding needs to be in order for that to happen.”_

_“Going for a more traditional union, I see.”_

_“Not really, I’m just hoping to get invited. You know that’ll be a huge event...”_

Dick rolled his eyes at the ongoing conversation and clicked off the video to read the rest of the article. A high society Omega? Essentially they mean an omega who has money, fame, and power, all of which Dick didn’t have. All of that was Bruce’s and he was only known, in name, for being his soulmate. Even though he was feeling the same sort of frustration about the Surge suppressor, talking with Mr. Calabrese seemed like a far fetched idea considering how their meeting at the Gala went down. 

Then there was the topic about him and Bruce getting married. Dick’s never considered that an option before. Has Bruce ever thought about it? Dick sure hasn’t. Would Bruce even want to marry him? It’s not like they weren’t already ‘married’ considering their bond mark but… to have something written on paper, put into the public records, fundamentally binding them together for life. Maybe getting married wouldn’t be such a bad idea...

Dick hadn’t expected to be bothered by a text notification popping up on his screen, followed by a quiet vibration. He searched for the sender, finding the words 'Unknown’, making him all the more suspicious. _Why was an unknown number texting him?_ His focus sidetracked when he heard the familiar sound of Bruce’s cell phone also receiving a text. Dick redirected his attention back to his cellphone and clicked on the text. 

There sat a media file; a video. Dick looked at the number of the sender, seeing an unfamiliar area code. He was almost tempted to click off and delete the text if it weren’t for his phone vibrating again after another text was sent by the same number.

 _[Unknown]--_ Check your alliances. One of them is deceiving you.

From: Risen

Upon hearing Bruce’s phone receive another text, Dick frowned at the words, _Risen? Weren’t they all dead?_ If this was truly from Risen, then he should wake Bruce but before that, Dick found himself clicking on the video. He watched the spinning loading symbol with his heart pounding in anticipation, his thoughts running a mile a minute. _Who was it that was deceiving them? A clan member?_ It wasn’t until the footage began to play that Dick’s heart stopped completely.

Seeing himself in the eyes of the viewer never felt more surreal than it did at that moment. He didn’t remember... he didn’t remember doing anything like this... There were so many scenes similar to this one that at some point in his life, they all started to blend together. And by the end of the video, that’s when Dick finally understood that life wasn’t fair...

It never was.

It never will be.

_Because fate favored no one_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 11 is where the entire video scene came from btw😔


	30. Abduction

Dick’s gaze intertwined with his own reflection that was exposed by the phone screen going black. He let the phone slide from his fingers and fall onto the hard floor with a clunk, bringing light to his shaking hand. The same hand where he once carried a weapon that... Dick shook his head and curled in fetal position, shaking as he bawled his eyes out. When he cried there was a rawness to it that was soon stifled into quiet sobs as he attempted to hide his grief. He didn’t want to wake Bruce but at some point, he would have to, and… he would see what Dick had done… At the thought, Dick was overcome with an unbearable sense of torment, eating away at his spirit. And like the image of Selina’s last breath, he felt like his mind was floating to a faraway place. _What had he done? He...he killed…_

Out of nowhere, a flicker of something red passed through his vision, causing Dick to peer out of the large window. As quickly as the light came, it disappeared all the same only to be replaced by the sound of glass breaking and the sight of something flashing by his shoulder. Dick's senses sharpened with panic as he watched the glass fall to the ground. He struggled to sit up but moved swiftly to push Bruce off the bed. When the alpha’s back hit the ground with a thump, Dick instantly followed by falling on top of him. He ducked, hovering over Bruce’s body, looking to the side to make sure the hospital bed was enough to block them from the window. Their upper bodies were safe; distressingly, Bruce’s legs were not- they were still out in the open. 

“Bruce, someone’s shooting at us. We have to leave!” He yelled, expecting some type of response but none came. Dick stared down at Bruce, his hands shivering as he tried to shake the alpha awake.

“Bruce, wake up! Wake up! Come on-” _Why wasn’t he waking up?_ Dick stopped shaking him after feeling something wet touch his hand. He pulled back his palm, seeing blood that he suspected to be his own but it wasn’t… it wasn’t his...

“No…” Dick wept. “No, no…” He looked down at the gunshot wound on Bruce’s left shoulder, slowly gushing blood.

“Bruce… wake up, please!” Dick put pressure on the wound with his trembling hands, tears streaking down his face, “Please… please… come on!”

Abruptly, a noise pierced his ears, the fire alarm sounded throughout the room followed by the lights flickering off, leaving Dick to panic even more. “Bruce! Wake up! Fucking, wake up!” He stared down at his alpha, seeing the unnatural stillness of his expression. It wasn’t the gunshot wound that made him faint, but it should’ve been the impact from the gunshot that made him wake up. And yet, he wasn’t moving at all. Had he... been drugged…?

That thought caused Dick to freeze. _They were coming for him. No, they were already here…_ “Fuck!”

Dick crawled over Bruce and sat back on his hunches, groaning in pain as he slid his arms under the alpha’s armpits. He used all of his strength to pull Bruce further up towards the back wall to make sure his legs weren’t out in the open anymore. With all of his instincts focused on protecting them, Dick leaned over Bruce and dug into the pockets of his pants, finding no such weapon. In a frantic, he looked around the room, eyes pausing on the bright red disposal container that was suspended on the wall. He cursed internally, thinking about the risk of getting shot just so he could get a used syringe to utilize as a weapon. He couldn’t risk that...

Dick ended up crawling over Bruce, straddling his thighs, and attempted to wake up his alpha once again but it was to no avail. Bruce was knocked out. And he was still bleeding... Dick was growing more frustrated by the second with all the noise coming from the fire alarm. The blaring sound drowned out all other sounds, to such an extent that Dick didn’t hear the door open until a familiar sing-a-long voice washed over him.

“Taaalon.”

Dick froze but he didn’t dare look away from his alpha. He preoccupied himself by putting pressure on Bruce's wound all while his head was ringing a series of chants. No, no, no Please! _Please not now… not now! Why now?_

“Pack your bags, Talon," Rose said as she pulled off her wig, revealing her eye patch that was hidden under a long bang. "It’s time to go.” 

“No…” Dick said barely above a whisper. “No... please…”

The sound of a gun cocking forced Dick to look at Rose's way. She stood there in a bloodied nurse's outfit, dropping a wig onto the floor as she aimed her weapon at Bruce’s head. “You know the drill, Talon… If you don’t move, guess what?" She tilted her head and gestured her gun toward Bruce. "...He dies.”

There was no sense of reasoning when it happened, it was all impulsive and mindless when Dick moved to cover his mate's body. His limbs stretched in a way that made him cry harder. Everything hurt- his wounds as well as his heart. He didn’t want to leave Bruce but didn't want anything to happen to him. 

“Being difficult, I see." Rose took a step closer. "Guess I should warn you that we’ve got our scopes pointed at the Wayne siblings too.” 

Dick’s eyes widened at the implication.

“I bet you’re wondering why they don’t even know that we’re here right now… Maybe you're thinking how they wouldn’t even be outside right now if they had a tracker, now would they?” Rose watched Dick glare at her. “Did you really think we wouldn’t find out about you tracking us?”

_Of course, Dick knew they would find out; they all did, but not this soon._

“If it hadn’t been for Tiger running into you that day, we would’ve never known.”

_Tiger? Who’s that?_

“We’ve been watching your move ever since then but we made sure not to get too close to the Wayne Manor… instead, we got just a smidge closer to your friend, just like you did. His name is, Wally West if I remember correctly?” She mentioned with a light mocking tone.

Dick held his breath in hopes that they weren’t threatening his life too. _He knew it. He should’ve never friended Wally at the Gala._

“You’ve been reckless, Talon.” Rose taunted. “Very reckless… though, I can’t say we weren’t nervous in the beginning when you found out about the dynamic-less drug being completed... but now, we have everything working in our favor.”

The sound of Rose tapping her foot was slightly muffled by the fire alarm but no less vital. She was waiting. And for as long as Dick’s known her, he knew just how much she hated waiting.

“It’s either Bruce dies or the siblings die.” Her foot ceased tapping. “This can _all_ be avoided if you just come with us. So… what's your final answer?”

Dick didn’t immediately pull away from his mate instead, he held him closer, pressing Bruce’s head into his chest. “Rose, don’t do this… please...” He begged. “Isn’t that why you ran away, all those years ago? To get away from all of this?” Dick gave her a desperate and bargaining expression. “Remember?”

Rose lowered her gun and stared at Dick in the eyes. “... I was seventeen then; I was immature. I didn’t know what I was doing and if my father hadn’t guided me back to the right path, then who knows how long I would have suffered for… You’re suffering too, aren’t you?” She said as she glanced at Bruce. “Don’t let these fancy doctors with their Ph.D.’s and cliché lifestyles give us diagnosis’ as if we’re the crazy ones. It's trauma, they say… you need medication… Stay with your loved one and all that pain will disappear, right?” Rose held her gun steady once more and sneered at him. “They’re all liars.”

Dick slowly peered at the whiteboard on the wall, reading his own diagnosis, hearing Rose huff a cynical laugh before she continued. “Think about it Talon… who will be there for you when Bruce no longer wants you? Do you think he’ll want you after seeing what we did to his precious Selina? Both of us killed her… even though you didn’t deliver the final blow… your participation is enough for him to view you as something to _detest_... He’ll _hate_ you… just seeing you will make him gag… and for the rest of his life, you will be known as nothing more than the person who killed Selina...”

The realization came in the form of a storm, clouding Dick’s mind, and quite honestly, it was very painful. It was a frigid sort of panic-filled with intense misery as he imagined a life where Bruce hated him. There was a possibility that it could happen because it wasn’t just Selina that died that day… _it was their child too..._

 _“Bruce…”_ Dick whispered his alpha’s name, praying that he would wake up and tell Dick everything was okay; that he wouldn’t blame him…

Stark ivory strands of hair entered Dick’s vision, forcing him to look at Rose who was now bent down to his level. As always, no matter how distraught the situation was, her countenance seemed content with everything around her. Dick grimaced at the memory of him being like that at one point, swiftly breaking his eye contact with Rose as he did. 

“I’m giving you one more chance to make your decision... If you’re going to continue to be stubborn, none of their lives will be spared.”

“I-I’ll… I’ll go… just p-please don’t hurt them. I’ll go… I’ll go with you…” Dick struggled to get the lies out. He didn’t want to leave. Not ever. But...

“Good answer,” Rose said and that’s when Dick noticed... she no longer had a scent of an omega. “Let’s go.” She stood up.

As gently as he could, Dick lay Bruce’s head on the ground before leaning down and placing a chaste kiss on the alpha’s lips. He wept softly, taking one last whiff of Bruce’s scent before uttering a weak. “I love you.” It didn’t feel real when he said it, but he said it anyway just so he could hear the words come out of his mouth. 

Rose didn’t waste any more time before yanking Dick back by the strands of his hair, forcing him to stand. Dick struggled to grab her hands, arms quivering in pain as he tried to yank them away. 

“Stop being difficult,” Rose said and threatened to shoot Bruce again.

Dick reluctantly dropped his arms and let Rose hold them behind his back. His instincts told him to keep struggling; to protect his mate, but he was too weak. Some of his stitches must have opened because there was blood now seeping past his bandages. And there was a gun at his back. He knew Rose wouldn’t kill him. But she would, without a doubt, injure him until he could no longer stand.

Dick gave up all hope. He was no longer able to prove himself worthy of being Bruce’s mate. He couldn’t protect himself or anyone else. He was weak… worthless… useless…

He hated himself.

He hated everything.

He hated Slade most of all.

 _What did he do to deserve this? None of this was supposed to happen?_ These unintended consequences were always brought about by things Dick could never control. But ultimately, this wasn’t his fault… in the end, this was Slade's fault… _his fault… all his fault… and Dick wanted him to pay for it._ It was then that Dick realized he wouldn’t accept this misery any longer nor would he concede to that feeling of guilt (of killing Selina) that was burning at the pit of his stomach. _Not now._

For him, there was no more running away. Dick wouldn’t let his past and all that he’s done define who he was anymore. He would face Slade head on and kill him even that meant going through a few months of torture to get there. He wanted his life back. He wanted to live normally and freely. Dick wanted to be with Bruce even if his alpha never looked at him the same way again; he wanted to be with him no matter what. 

Something flashed beneath the surface of Dick’s aching heart; something calm and fluttering. It was an unexplainable feeling and yet Dick could've sworn he’d felt it before. That strange, almost daunting feeling, as if the unseeable pull knew what he’d decided to do in advance. It was fate… and it was working at the inclines of Dick’s final decision. It was as if another destiny had been written out for him; one he’d carved out for himself and this time... _it would be done in his favor._

 _Wait for me, Bruce…_ Dick mentally declared before he was knocked out cold.

~*~

A shimmer from the restaurant’s lighting brought Jason’s attention to a blond-haired teenager sitting at a table to the far left of them. He had an elbow on the table, a hand propping up his head as he casually read a magazine… reading a magazine… in a restaurant…? Point of fact, he wasn’t even really reading the darned thing; instead, he was glancing over at Tim with every chance he got. Jason would be more suspicious of this if everyone else in the _entire restaurant_ wasn’t taking peeks at Tim as well.

“Thank you,” Tim said to the waiter who refilled his drink for him. A female alpha, who wasn’t even required to refill his drink, considering this was a cheap fast food restaurant that had a self-serving soda machine.

“Congratulations o-on presenting.” She shyly beamed at Tim. “I’m sure Mr. Wayne is very proud. We’re proud too.”

Tim nodded bashfully and stared down at his partially empty tray, waiting for her to walk away before dropping his smile.

“We’ve got to get me a collar. Tomorrow.” Tim put stress on the word ‘tomorrow,’ longingly wishing for it to come sooner. No matter how hard he tried to reduce the potency of his pheromones, they would never lessen to that of a regular omega. At this point, Tim was doubtful about a normal collar being enough to block out his scent. If it wasn’t, then he’d just have to create one himself because he’d do anything to be out of the spotlight.

“Better get ready for your name to be all over social media tomorrow.” Jason joked around.

“That’s the exact reason why I’m staying off.” Tim sipped his soda with a bored expression.

“It could be worse.”

“How much worse?”

“You could’ve taken the Surge suppressor and had pain like a bitch.”

Tim lifted a brow, thinking seriously about the prospect. He almost forgot about Dick having pain after using that suppressor. “Selina used to use it all the time and she’s never once complained about it,” Tim grumbled more to himself than Jason.

“... Maybe Dick had an allergic reaction. That stuff happens, you know,” Jason answered before his eyes crossed the restaurant, witnessing that same blond teenager looking their way. They briefly locked eyes and the teenager sent him a grin before looking back at the magazine.

“Jay, do you still have a spare Surge suppressor at home?”

Jason slowly directed his gaze back towards Tim. “Yeah, I have a few left.”

“Do you mind if I take them off your hands?”

Jason shrugged, gaze drawn to Tim running a tongue over his bottom lip. “It’s whatever you want.”

Tim nodded. “Cool. I’ll take a look at them when we get home.”

Jason pulled his eyes away from Tim’s lips and distracted himself by asking, “How is that connection between you and Dick by the way?”

“It’s… a little weird. Honestly, feeling his emotions is a bit overwhelming at times… I guess it’s just something I’ll have to get used to.”

“You better be glad you didn’t have to live through it when he and Bruce weren’t talking. That would’ve been hell.”

“You’re right.” Tim snorted. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more thankful about not presenting around that time.”

Jason chuckled and kiddingly agreed with him.

“So,” Tim hesitated, lashes fluttering as he timidly looked at his brother. “I’ve been meaning to ask…” 

“Ask what?” Jason didn’t have to look at Tim to know that he was picking at the fabric on his pants. It was a nervous habit of his that he’s had since he was a kid. Meaning whatever Tim needed to say, wasn’t something he wanted to ask but the only way he would get an answer was by asking. Jason felt a flair of amusement as he got ready to tease the omega about whatever it was.

“Dick told me about… what happened on the day I presented.”

After hearing that, Jason’s amusement flew right out the window. If he could, he’d never talk about that incident again. Regardless of his reluctance, he answered, “Yeah? What about it?”

“W-well,” Tim spluttered. “If you... got hurt yo--”

Jason sighed. “You didn’t hurt me. You can’t hurt me even if you tried.” 

“But… I didn't mean by me- well, I guess I should explain…” Tim backtracked. “You see, Roy texted me and apologized so I just thought I’d tell you sorry for having to do all that to help me and--”

“Wait,” Jason stopped him. “Roy texted you?”

“Um… yeah?” Tim eyed him guiltily, almost as if he regretted doing the act himself. Mostly after seeing Jason’s unexpected glare.

“When the hell did you get his number?” 

“Jason… did you forget that we’re going to the same college in the fall? He promised to show me around when I got there. We exchanged numbers some time ago.”

“...I thought you were going to MIT?”

“I am, just to get my Masters.”

Jason wouldn’t admit it then but felt a bit peeved about the entire thing. The fact that Roy was texting Tim made him angry. Jason and Roy hadn’t talked since their fight about him not having self-control but for some reason, this dude had the audacity to text his brother? As if he didn’t try to attack him the other day? _Fuck that._

“Um… Jay?” Tim asked shyly, seeing the frown on Jason’s face grow deeper.

“Go put up our trays,” Jason ordered after a while.

Tim gave the alpha a confused frown before standing with an annoyed huff and grabbing both of their trays.

Jason swiftly pulled out his cell phone and texted Roy a skull and crossbones emoji, knowing his best friend would understand what it meant. Satisfied with himself, Jason pocketed his phone and looked up just in time to see Tim stop in front of the trashcan.

The stares; the fucking stares were more than Jason could have ever accounted for. Admittedly, it wasn’t from a lot of people, because the restaurant was almost empty but all that were present were mostly alphas. They were the ones who turned Tim’s way when he was busy dumping their trays. It was even worse than when they first walked in. At least then, they weren’t staring at his ass, or so Jason thought… who knew how many alphas looked at Tim on their way to their table. Jason clenched his fist, trying to have some semblance of control. There was no way he could cause a scene in front of all these people just to tell them to stop staring at his brother. The worst thing that could happen would be someone walking up to Tim and trying to flirt with him--

“Jason!”

Jason blinked then peered up at Tim who was suddenly standing at the end of the table.

“Why are you still sitting down? Let’s go already.”

Jason stood with a sigh, stuffing his hands in his jacket pocket as they exited the restaurant. The lamp post lit up the dark street as they headed toward the end of the sidewalk to trek over the crosswalk. Tim walked a little ways in front of him, doing something as childish as skipping over the cracks that covered the pavement. And Jason couldn't help it when his stare fell away from Tim’s measured steps to let his eyes glide across the omega’s form. Since presenting, his brother's waist was a little slimmer than usual, hips a bit wider, ass a little perkier. 

“Jason, are you listening?” Tim halted Jason’s steps by waving a hand in front of his face. “Are you deaf or something?”

The only thing that hadn’t changed was that attitude of his.

Jason cracked a smile before taking his jacket off and handing it to Tim. “Tie this around your waist.” 

“Huh?” Tim looked down at the jacket “Why?”

“Just do it already.”

Tim sighed and yanked the jacket away. “Why are you acting so weird?” He complained while securing the jacket around his waist. “Don’t blame me if I happen to sit somewhere and your jacket gets dirty or something.” Tim whipped his head around and waltzed forward.

Jason shook his head. “That’s why we have a washing machine, Timmy.” 

Watching Tim flip him the bird from afar, Jason stopped short of the black paint marking the ground, instantly recognizing where he was. “Timmy, where are you going?”

Tim turned around. “What do you mean? I’m going back to the hospital.”

“Why don’t we go _around_ the park instead?” 

Tim scoffed. “Why would we do that when it's easier to cut across the park?”

“Suit yourself,” Jason smirked and plodded along the outside of the dark paint that formed a circle around this one particular area. It was easy to see the pavement markings in the day time, but not so much at night. And maybe Jason was a little happy that Tim didn’t know where he was standing.

“See?” Tim remarked. “There you go again, acting weir--! AH!”

Jason laughed loudly, watching his little brother flail after getting drenched by the sensor sprinklers shooting upwards toward the sky.

“Jason, you idiot!” Tim screamed as he came running out of the circled area. You knew that was gonna happen, didn’t you!?”

Jason didn’t even try to hide his amusement and cackled harder. Tim, on the other hand, was livid. He ran over and pushed Jason hard enough to make him stumble backward. 

“Stupid!” Was the only thing Tim could say before Jason pulled him into a playful headlock. “Jay, let go!” Tim struggled to remove himself but eventually gave up, his face flushing at the familiar scent that surrounded him. He tried not to think about the fuzzy days of his heat but he couldn’t help it… Jason was an alpha, Tim began to realize. Everything felt a bit different now that he’d presented. Whereas before he was attracted to Jason by dint of his unruly benevolence, inflated ego, and good looks. Now, he could smell him. It was an extraordinary scent that captured his attention and started to bloom into something else entirely. It also brought about many new insecurities. Tim was now thinking about his own self-image… would he even be someone Jason was attracted to?

“Fuck, now I’m wet,” Jason complained with a smile as he pulled away.

Tim felt his mood deflate when Jason moved away. In the center of his one-sided retaliation, Tim ended up throwing Jason’s soaked jacket in the alpha’s face. “It’s what you deserve for being an idiot.”

“Come on, Timmy, it’s not that serious.” Jason threw his jacket over one shoulder, watching Tim push aside his wet bangs, bringing light to his pouting face.

“I told you not to call me that,” Tim mumbled softly.

“Pft, I don’t see a problem with the nickname. I like it... ” Jason bent forward and playfully flicked Tim’s forehead, watching him frown and rub at that same spot. ”...It’s cute…” Jason stood up straight, giving Tim a lopsided smirk. “It suits you.”

After hearing that comment, Tim’s cheeks started burning. _Did… did Jason just call him--_

“C’mon, Timmy.” Jason walked around him. “We need to get back to the hospital.”

“O-Okay…” Tim trailed after him, knowing that this memory would forever be seared into his mind.

“Hey!” 

Tim and Jason turned around to see a blond teenager standing beside a light pole. Jason instantly recognized the young alpha to be that same teenager he saw in the restaurant and just like earlier, he was only staring at Tim.

 _“Why don’t you come over here real quick.”_ He said to Tim but the omega didn’t move from his place and instead gave the alpha a strange look.

 **_“Rose, he didn’t listen to Joey’s order,”_ **Tiger said into the earpiece.

**_“Alright. I need you to keep them distracted Joey, I’m still struggling to escape this stupid hospital with Talon.”_ **

“The fuck are you using an order on my brother for?” Jason moved to stand in front of Tim.

“Ah, nothing, forgive me for that.” Joey awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. “I’ve just never smelt such a… strong scent before and I wanted to get a closer look. You’re a Prime, aren’t you?” 

It was an innocent question but Jason wasn’t one to fall for bullshit. “Take your fucking eyes off of him,” Jason growled.

 **_“Joey, remember I told you that they’re very protective… he’s probably got that gun on him from the last time,”_ **Tiger warned.

“Oh, trust me, I meant no harm.” Joey chuckled in response. “You know, Jason, you remind me of my older brother. He was once very protective of my omega sister growing up… too bad he’s dead now.”

That statement made Jason quickly glance at the teenager’s wrist, finding what he’d seen on Dick’s wrist multiple times. _That fucking DS tattoo. How could he have missed that before?_ “Tim, stay the fuck back.”

“Jay, wha-” Tim paused once he saw Jason pull out his gun. Tim looked around to make sure no one was on the street and thankfully it was empty. It didn’t matter how late at night it was, it was still risky because anyone could walk out at any moment. 

“Jay… we’re in public,” Tim warned but Jason completely ignored him.

“I’m guessing you’re Joey.” Jason cocked his gun. “A seventeen-year-old alpha and your daddy’s favorite son.”

“Wow.” Joey clapped slowly, mockingly. “I can see that Talon’s given you a lot of information. Has he talked about himself much? I’m guessing he hasn’t, considering you’re still protecting him...”

“That shit doesn’t matter.”

Joey raised a brow. “It doesn’t?” 

“Jay, he’s stalling for something. His stance is too relaxed.” Tim mentioned, catching Joey off guard.

Tiger chuckled. **_“He’s a fucking whiz kid, huh?”_ **

**_“Joey, ignore him and keep stalling,”_ ** Rose commanded. **_“Your ride is still not there yet.”_ **

**_“It’s okay, Rose. I got him covered.”_ **Tiger said, causing Joey to look up at the tall building behind the Wayne siblings.

“You’re fucking dead.” Jason aimed his gun.

“Cocky aren’t you?” Joey mused. “I would watch where you point that thing- actually I would watch your back altogether.”

“Jay!”

At the sound of Tim’s voice, Jason turned around, catching sight of a red light, pointed directly at the middle of his chest. _They’ve got a sniper…_ The gun he was holding suddenly flew out of his hand when the sniper shot at it. “Fuck!” 

“Fuck is right,” Tim muttered, as he inspected the gun at his feet, noticing the ejection point had been shot straight through. It was useless now. Tim thought on impulse; consequently, choosing his best bet was to attack as he ran past Jason and toward Joey.

“Tim, stay your ass--”

“Shut up, Jay, I have this!” There was a bit of tension in his tone but he kept charging, nonetheless. 

**_“The whiz kid can fight too?”_ **Tiger made fun.

 **_“Of course he can. What do you expect from a clan leader's son?”_ **Rose chimed in.

Tiger laughed. **_“We’ll see about that. He seems a bit too scrawny for me. Joe should be able to take him down easily.”_ **

**_“Joey, don’t be too rough. He’s precious cargo.”_ ** Joey could tell Rose was smiling when she said that.

Coming into contact with Joey was easier than Tim expected it to be. The alpha didn’t even take a chance to dodge Tim’s swift strike against the leg. Although Joey faltered, he came back full swing by quickly grabbing onto Tim’s forearms to pull himself upright, roughly headbutting the omega. Tim held his head and stumbled back, seeing a flash of something silver being thrust into his direction. The sight made Tim sidestep in one fluid move, nearly tripping over himself as he looked down at the dagger the alpha brought out. 

“Wanna try doing that again- wait, nevermind, this might be too much for you.” Joey put the knife away and smiled at Tim.

“Are you underestimating me?” _What the hell was wrong with this guy? Why wasn’t he fighting Tim seriously?_

“...Maybe.” Joey taunted.

Tim didn’t waste any more time before bringing a fist to the alpha’s face, snapping his nose to the right. Joey groaned before Tim struck him again, this time with a knee strike to the chin, readily slamming him onto the ground. 

**_“He packs a punch, that’s for sure. Joe, you’ll have to get a nose job by this time tomorrow.”_ **Tiger joked around.

“Shut up.” Joey accidentally spoke out loud.

**_“If you th-”_ **

Without warning, Joey’s earpiece was yanked out of his ear and Tim crushed it against the ground with his palm. “Jason! He has an earpiece which means there are others around.”

“They’re probably after Dic-” Jason was interrupted by a gunshot hitting the grass next to his foot. “Shit!”

“You’re not out of the clear yet, Wayne siblings!” Joey announced with amusement. “Hurt me more than this and you’re brother’s dead,” Joey murmured lowly, only for Tim to hear.

Through his anger, Tim was seeing red and unintentionally released immense territorial pheromones, making sure to press his knee into Joey’s chest. “If you really wanted to kill him, you would’ve done that already.”

Joey frowned once he started having trouble breathing and somehow his limbs were growing weaker by the second. “W-what…” He struggled to exhale as the scent engulfed his strength. This scent... it was growing stronger and it was suffocating him. “H-hurry up fathe-” 

A van swerved around the corner and onto the sidewalk, startling Tim out of his pheromone freeing stupor. He was knocked back onto his ass when Joey finally had enough strength to push him off. The door to the back of the van opened and Tim was frozen in place when a large beast of a man with white hair and an eye patch emerged from the vehicle. The light of the moon seemed to vanish as he stepped onto the ground and stood above the two teenagers. Then the atmosphere was quickly filled with a layer of dense foreboding pheromones. They were even stronger than Tim’s and for each step the man took, Tim progressively felt the urge to curl into himself... to submit… _Could this be…?_

“Useless.” Was all the alpha said, before Tim felt the startings of a whimper bubble up in the back of his throat. The words weren’t even directed at him and yet... 

The alpha’s stare was pointed at Joey who was coughing up a mess. “Get up.” He ordered, his voice deep and menacing enough to send chills down Tim's spine. 

“F-forgive me, father,” Joey staggered into a standing position. “I failed because I wasn’t trying to hurt him like you told me to. But… but his pheromones were too strong.” Joey nodded towards Tim.

The man suddenly stared at Tim with dead eyes, trapping the omega in place. 

“Tim, get back!” Jason called from behind him and he tried to move forward if only another gunshot hadn’t stopped him in his tracks.

“You did good, Joey.” The man smiled. “You’ve gotten me a worthy prize.”

 _Prize?_ With his hands scoffing against the concrete, Tim inched backward. Although he wanted to keep eye contact with the man, he couldn’t help but be drawn to a random woman coming around the corner of the building. The moment she spotted the scene, she stopped abruptly.

“Shall I kill her, father?” Joey asked quietly to which he was given permission to do so.

“No!” Tim yelled, seeing Joey run off towards her.

“Little omega…” The man finally addressed him. “ _Don’t talk…”_

Tim felt his mind go still and his mouth close shut. He could no longer make a sound.

_“Come... get into the van.”_

The voice made itself into his head and Tim’s body jerked into the correct position to stand and walk.

“Tim!” He heard Jason yell followed by another gunshot.

But Tim couldn’t respond, his body wouldn’t listen to him, he was… moving forward… he couldn't stop. _What was happening…? No, he couldn’t be... Slade couldn't be a Prime Alpha. Dick would have told them that, right?_ But it didn’t matter anymore, he couldn’t do anything but follow the order… so this was what Dick was talking about… he couldn’t… he couldn't control himself. Only his thoughts were able to roam free. 

_Tim was scared..._

_So scared…_

Tim was forced to step into the van, feeling someone secure his arms behind his back. The last thing he saw when he turned around was Jason’s troubled face. And all Tim could do was watch as the door slid shut, blocking Jason from his sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments appreciated!😊


	31. A Foregoing Forthcoming

A strong sense of destiny is said to become a self-fulfilling prophecy if the endeavor is persistent enough. And Dick, after having finalized his choice, was now walking alongside his destiny that was weaving the web of his life. Unfortunately, the future was still unforeseen; unpredictable and the events to come were inevitable. Dick would probably suffer more than he ever had before but at least he knew what his goal was now… he knew everything would be fine in the end. He could almost feel it… that feeling of paradise. It was hard to think of paradise when he felt like he didn’t earn it but Dick swore he could see it… almost like a dream that was filled with peace… serenity… laughter…

_The laughter was as clear as day… and it was his own. The vision was blurry but that didn’t stop him from recognizing his soulmate. Dick was nestled against Bruce's side, in his embrace, laughing along with him. And missing, was all his constant grief and sorrow because now, happiness filled his entire being. The feeling was relatively new to him, like meeting a stranger; an unfamiliar version of himself. A sudden gust of wind had him looking off into the distance at an ambient field full of tall green grass that was dispersed about the hills. The sun was setting into the dusk behind a hill of trees and before long, Dick felt worry settle in his heart. His sight moved toward Bruce where he saw the alpha speak but for some reason, he couldn't hear any sound._

_Soon, Bruce was standing up, pulling Dick along with him and they were both looking off into the distance again. The sun was setting fast and more worry made its way into Dick's mind but Bruce’s pheromones kept his concern at bay. The alpha turned to him and said something, Dick still couldn’t hear but it seemed that Bruce wanted him to stay here. Therefore, he did, all while watching Bruce call for someone as he traveled across the field of grass. Dick stood there silently and for a while, he watched the sun disappear under the horizon with the sky progressively turning dark._

_It wasn’t long before Bruce came into view, trudging through the grass while carrying someone on his shoulders. At the sight, all of Dick’s worry vanished. He quickly towards Bruce with a frown set in place along with a chiding temper. The blurry edges of the vision suddenly faded and the image was clear enough for him to see a small child with dark hair sitting on Bruce’s shoulders. He was holding a jar of fireflies and was pouting at Dick’s unheard remarks. The child answered back and whatever he said caused Dick’s shoulders to slump in defeat. He then reached out for the child, offering him solace with his embrace. The child happily opened his arms wide, letting Dick pull him off of Bruce’s shoulders and into his arms. He held the child close and placed a kiss on his forehead. And at long last, the fogginess cleared from Dick’s ears, bringing about the sound of bugs buzzing and gusts of wind that intermingled with the sound of his own voice..._

_“Always stay where I can see you, Damian…”_

Dick woke up at the sound of a car door slamming. It was pitch black where he was, laying back on a rigid bank that was protruding from the wall next to him. Slightly discomforted, Dick tried to move his arms, immediately finding out they were tied behind his back. Forgetting all about his injuries, he carelessly pushed himself into sitting position and swung his legs off the bank. The second his feet hit the ground he heard a muffled voice coming from outside of the van.

_“Take him to the room closest to the lab.”_

_“Got it, boss.”_

Things were quiet for a while after that little exchange and it had Dick wondering if they were bringing someone else in before him? The sound of more footsteps brought Dick’s attention toward the door which was abruptly pulled open with a loud slam. With his anticipation getting the best of him, Dick dug his nails into the palms of his hand when a familiar wretched smell encased his senses. It was Slade's scent, but it wasn’t him who poked his head through. Oddly enough, Rose appeared, her eyes widening a bit before going blank. “You woke up just in time, Talon.”

Dick bit back a groan when he was yanked out of the car. His injuries were ever-present and whether or not Rose noticed, she didn’t seem to care about his bloody bandages. If his wounds weren’t re-stitched soon, they would be infected. But if he were being honest, he’d rather that happen than to see Slade again. The alpha’s scent was everywhere, remarkably so. It was never this strong before but now, it lingered in a space he wasn’t even occupying. In any case, Dick wasn’t ready to meet him yet. He needed to breathe; he needed some time to think but it was already too late. 

As soon as Rose forcefully directed Dick around the other side of the van, he saw the alpha standing there, eerily waiting for his arrival. Dick was instantly reminded about the first time he came to one of these hidden bases with Slade. Back then, after having been ordered by Slade to stay by his side, he’d been brought there against his will. And as a child, he was too weak-minded to fight back. He was too petrified by what he’d done to his parent’s murderer to do anything other than follow. Fifteen years ago, he was a hopeless child that had been thrust into a life of sinfulness with no way to escape and Slade knew this…

15 Years Ago

_“Fighting is pointless at this point. When needed, you have to accept the situation. The faster you do, the better the outcome.”_

_Slade said after closing the car door behind Dick. It was dark outside and Dick could barely see anything in the alleyway they walked through. The journey in between the tall buildings led them to a door where Slade had to put in a code to enter._

_“Do you understand why I’ve taken you in, young Grayson?”_

_Dick desperately tried to hide how afraid he was and shook his head, eyes drawn to the door sliding open._

_“I see potential in you… in all the pain you carry. We will put it to good use.” The alpha said while beckoning Dick to follow him inside. “You will only need to depend on me from now on. I will groom you to be… untainted and virtuous... in regards to my ideals.”_

_No matter how much he wanted to, Dick didn’t dare ask what he meant by that. He didn’t understand… Being untainted and virtuous? What was that supposed to achieve?_

_Dick tried not to twitch when Slade placed a large hand on his shoulder and guided him through a series of bleak white hallways with complicated entry touchpads that left the omega wondering if he were in a different world altogether. As a ten-year-old child with a lot of curiosity, he couldn’t help but wonder where the corridors were leading to._

_“You already know exactly what you need to know,” Slade spoke again when they stopped in front of another door not too different from the others. “Your parents are dead and I have been gracious enough to take you in. That is your reality from now on." Slade bent to a knee, forcing Dick to look at him._

_“When inside I expect you to stay diligent and play nice with my children._ **_You will not utter a word about anything that has happened in your life before you enter this room. That includes your name, your parents, and your profession. From now on you are Talon, an orphan who I have graciously adopted_ ** _.”_

_With the order set in place, Dick watched Slade patch in the last code and another set of doors opened. His hope of escape felt dead after that. It was almost like resetting his life from the moment he breached the door. He was welcomed into a very huge house-like room with no windows in sight. From what Dick could see, everything had a color variation of white and gray and there was nothing interesting to look at. Not even the furniture dispersed throughout the space made up for the lack of nothingness._

_"Father!" A little girl ran over and hugged the alpha around his middle. "You're back. Did you go visit mommy again?" She asked with a curious smile._

_"No, not this time." His voice seemed to mellow out into something more gentle. It caught Dick by surprise and he couldn't help but be comforted by his seemingly normal approach. Was this man not as bad as he seemed?_

_“Oh…” Her mood deflated. “M’kay...” The girl soon peered over at Dick and he quickly looked to the side, feeling a bit out of place._

_“I want you to play nice with Talon, while I’m out,” Slade said after following her line of sight. “Do you think you can do that, Rose?”_

_“Yes, father. Now, are you going out to see mommy?” She urged innocently._

_“We’ve talked about this my dear Rose.” He smoothed her hair to the side. “She’s very sick right now. I want you to be a good girl for me and stop asking about her. Do I make myself clear?”_

_Her eyes drooped sadly. “... Yes, father. I understand.”_

_“Good.” Slade finally removed his hand from Rose's head and Dick didn’t have to turn around to know that the alpha had left the room. He felt relieved the pressure was finally gone but not relieved enough for him to feel comfortable. Dick took a moment to look back at the door from once he came with a longing for escape. He felt like a cage was closing in around him, sealing off each and every exit. He didn’t want to be trapped here with a man who made him kill someone… He wanted to leave and he should be able to leave here soon. The police were at the circus. They should be searching for him right now. He’ll be saved by tomorrow._

_“What’s your name?”_

_Dick turned around, almost forgetting that he wasn’t alone. He opened his mouth to say Richard but he couldn’t. His face twisted in frustration and he ended up looking down at the ground, feeling a bit uneasy. Despite the girl’s question going unanswered, that didn’t seem to stop her from trying to openly converse._

_“My name is Rose.” She uttered soon after, going down on her knees to peek at Dick’s eyes under his bangs. She tilted her head, eyes lit with curiosity, that of which Dick didn’t understand. They looked about the same age and Dick had to wonder, was she just like him? Had she been plucked from her home and brought here against her will with the label ‘Orphan’ placed on her head? Was she forced to call that man her father?_

_In light of a smile forming on her thin lips though, it would seem that wasn’t the case. It was her expression that caught Dick off guard; her expression was too carefree to have been abducted. And from the looks of it, she hadn’t presented yet, so she couldn’t have been ordered to call him anything._

_“Father called you Talon. Is that your name?” She spoke again, scooching forward to get a better look when Dick moved backward. “That’s a pretty name.” Her smile was even brighter than before and only wavered when Dick didn’t mimic her expression._

_“Why do you look so sad?”_

_“I… I don’t want to be here…” Dick had been scared that his mind wouldn’t let him admit that but the words just slipped out. Admittedly, he sort of regretted saying it. What if Rose told Slade what he said and he got in trouble for it?_

_“Silly.” Rose simpered brightly. “Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you. My father may look big and scary but he's really nice. All you have to do is follow the rules then father will let you do whatever you want."_

_"Rose, quiet down over there. I'm trying to watch TV." Dick finally looked up and glimpsed at where the voice was coming from. There was someone sitting in the living room with their arms extended along the back of the couch._

_"Grant, you're not supposed to be watching TV right now." Rose looked back at Dick and started to explain, “That’s one of our rules. You’re only allowed to watch TV or go outside when father thinks you’ve done something good.” Rose stated but it only made Dick even more confused. They couldn’t go outside? Didn’t that mean they were trapped here too?_

_When the older boy stood up from the couch, Dick took a step back, watching him lumber across the short distance separating them. "Pretty sure he saw me watching TV when he walked in here. He didn't say anything then, so I’m fine." He answered while staring at Dick. Then he scoffed and passed them by on his way to the kitchen area._

_“You should be nice and greet our guest,” Rose argued. “Remember when father said he was adopting an orphan?”_

_“Yeah, sure, he’s an orphan, alright.” Grant barely stifled a laugh when he mumbled, “And I know that already, I’m the one he called.”_

_“That means he’s our new brother,” Rose affirmed with a childish huff._

_“It’s whatever you want to call him. I’m not in this.” Grant, with his soda in hand, walked back into the living room and flopped on the couch._

_“Wanna see our house?” Rose asked and before Dick could answer, she was grabbing his hand and pulling him along._

_The hallways were long and narrow and like the living room and kitchen, there were no windows anywhere. It was less like a home and more like a prison cell. There was nothing in the very least unique about it. Everything was so bright and there wasn’t a spot of dirt or a speck of dust. It was perfectly clean and yet, somehow or another, the atmosphere felt depressing._

_“This is my room.” Rose’s room gave off the same depressing vibes as the rest of the house. There was no other color than white and gray and nothing was out of place. “We move a lot so father never lets me decorate.” Melancholy settled in Rose’s tone. “But it’s fine. Father says we don’t need any unnecessary distractions.”_

_“Rose.” A new voice appeared and Dick turned around to see an older woman carrying a small toddler on her hip. She was graying at the roots of her hair and had sharp features and with deep smile lines that made the stern expression on her face all the more scarier. Even more so when she briefly glanced Dick’s way. The crease between her brows grew deeper. “More work for me… I hope you're an obedient child at least.” She sighed and looked back at Rose. “Keep an eye on your brother for a couple of minutes.” She sat the toddler on his feet before leaving the room._

_“Joey, come here.” Rose giggled and held out her arms and waited for the toddler to walk over. He seemed to hesitate with each step but with Rose cheering him on he made it without falling over. “Good job, Joey. You made it!” She hugged him. “Joe, say hi to Talon.” Rose waved Joey’s small hand for him._

_“Was that lady his mom?” Was the first thing Dick wanted to know._

_“No, that’s just Karly. She’s a lady that works for my father. She looks after us when father is out working.”_

_Dick locked his gaze on Joey, who’d gone about playing with the tiny straps on his white overalls. “Then… where’s his mom?”_

_Rose shrugged. “I don’t know.”_

_“Oh…” Dick replied softly._

_“I know where my mommy is though.” Rose perked up with a grin, sitting Joey down on the floor. “But I’m not allowed to see her right now.” Her shoulders slumped. “Father says that she’s extremely sick, so he took her to a safe place so she could get better.”_

_“...Sick?”_

_Rose nodded. “Mommy once said father was a bad man even though he’s not. She tried to hide me and then she tried to hurt him… Grant says she went…” She wound a single finger around her ear in a coo-coo motion. “Don’t worry, father says I’ll get to see her one day when it’s safe to be around her again.”_

_Dick couldn’t distinguish the truth in anything said here but even so, he felt sad for her. He wanted to see his mom again too..._

_Rose suddenly stood up, ran toward her bed, and slipped a hand under her mattress. “Look, this is the bracelet she gave me for my seventh birthday. It’s pretty, isn’t it?”_

_“Y-yeah…” Dick down stared at the sparkly pink beaded bracelet._

_“Don’t tell father I have this, okay?” She held it to her chest before she slipped it back underneath the mattress. “I don’t want him to take it away from me.”_

_“I won’t tell him,” Dick promised, only because he didn’t want anyone to get in trouble._

_“Your room can be next to mine if you want,” Rose said as she led Joey and Dick out of the room. With reluctance, he followed her around, not growing any more comfortable with the situation. All the hallways and rooms felt frigid and empty as if this place were draining the energy out of him._

_“This is the training room,” Rose said after she pushed open double doors that led to another massive room. The space was wide, filled with combat training amenities that spanned half the room. On the far back wall sat a wall full of monitors and from afar, Dick could see that they were cameras showing footage of various areas in the house. Sadness overcame him then… did Dick even have a chance to escape this place?_

_"Father trains us here…” Rose distracted him by pressing a button on a wall._

_Dick was a little confused as to what Rose was implying. “Trains you?” It wasn’t until the wall started sliding open, similar to the doors, showcasing a collection of weapons- swords, guns, and daggers alike._

_“He wants us to be strong so we can protect ourselves. One day, we'll work with him.” Rose reached for a silver-coated dagger that reflected off the luminescent lights. She stared at it, muttering, “Hopefully, you’ll start training with us too.”_

_Rose handed Dick the weapon and he hesitated before grabbing it. He weighed the knife in his hand, his fingers digging into the hard handle. He was able to ask himself innocent questions like, would he get in trouble for touching it? Was he holding it right?_

_It was no heavier than a kitchen knife but as time went on, Dick would come to find out the weapon was nothing a regular kitchen knife. It cut on first contact, even with minimum pressure, it made a person bleed easily. With ten inches in its length, it was easy to pack inside the hoister belt extending across his chest with a katana at his back. They were useful as back-up for close combat which was something that Dick excelled at. Utilizing his acrobatic skills plus years of rigorous training left no room for mistakes._

_He learned further along that alpha orders could not account for skill. Slade could tell him what he needed to do when it came to fighting but that didn’t mean it would happen in that exact way. Still, the weight of his training never stopped, especially with the new edition of the shock collar. The dreaded thing… he hated wearing it but as a consequence of his constant attempts to escape, he’d been awarded a collar that would shock him every time he did. It would have been so simple for Slade to order him not to never leave the clan, and he did order that eventually, but not at first._

_The shock collar kept Dick at bay until the omega developed a sort of… emotional indifference to evading the pain. Whether that meant killing more people or never running away again. For Dick, the emotional stilting was needed. To him, it was a valid defense. However, it was overused to the point where he became cold… he purposely kept his distance and didn’t connect with any of the Wilson children. But Slade’s awards made up for his lack of relation._

_Praise was one of them, particularly when it came to comparison. He’d learn to fight and was more agile than Grant was and he was esteemed more than Grant was. Dick liked to be applauded… Dick was perfect in the eyes of Slade and he liked it. So much so, he slowly started to lose ahold of himself. He used to think of his parents at all times but as the years passed, the images of their faces and voices started getting blurry to the point where he thought his life before meeting Slade was an illusion._

_He’d go to sleep at night, comfortably and although he’d shed tears; although he convinced himself he didn’t want to do this, he accepted it. He thought of himself as a bad person who was no better than Slade. And with those thoughts, he’d press a cheek to his pillow, snuggle into his comforter and let the warmth and darkness envelop him until he succumbed to the call of sleep every. damn. night. for the last fifteen years._

.

.

.

Dick was thrown to his knees with his head yanked to the side by the ends of his hair, exposing the length of his throat. Hissing loudly, Dick was made to look up at Slade’s face. He’d been away from him for six months but he still held onto his animosity for the alpha in front of him. _He wanted revenge._

“You’ve betrayed me, Talon,” Slade claimed, his deep voice ringing in Dick’s ears.

“Betrayal?” Dick rasped, giving the alpha a dirty look. “I guess I should tell you that I was never loyal to you in the first place.”

Slade scowled down at him before letting go of Dick’s hair, forcing the omega to catch his balance with his knees. He watched the alpha walk towards a table sitting below a wall of computer monitors. He left a trail of pheromones behind and when Dick caught another whiff, he found them to be less robust than earlier.

“Job’s done, boss. He’s still knocked out.”

A new voice made Dick peer to the side and he couldn't help but be surprised by who it was. It was that same alpha he saw almost two weeks ago at the promenade. But back then, he didn’t show up on their tracker nor did he have a DS tattoo. Dick immediately noticed he didn’t have a tattoo now either. 

“Good. How did the collar fit?” Slade inquired.

“Perfect fit.” He made an okay sign before sitting down in a vacant chair and eventually stared Dick’s way.

“As for you, Talon,” When addressed, Dick looked fixedly at Slade. “I’m sure you know the drill by now. You’ll be left in the containment room for three days with no food or water and then-”

“Father,” Rose disrupted. “I have something to tell you, regarding Talon.” Rose walked over, whispering something in Slade’s ear then glanced over at Dick before moving away from her father with a casual smirk on her lips.

Dick peered up at Slade just in time for him to be knocked back by a foot to the chin. Dick gasped as his head was thrown back and hit the ground with a hard thud. He groaned and coughed, feeling blood leak from the corner of his mouth, blinking fast enough to clear his vision.

“Tainted…” Was the first thing Slade said as he pulled the omega up by his hair again. Dick tried to retain some of his confidence but it was flowing out of him by the second and being treated like a rag doll wasn’t helping.

“I've given you everything, Talon. For fifteen years, I’ve spent my time training you and this is how you do me? By running off and…” Slade threw the omega on the ground like a piece of trash before walking back over to the table. He continued to speak with his back now facing Dick. “All that I've given you should have been enough for you. But your greed got the best of you and you sought for more when you didn't need it… Now, look at you… both pregnant and mated… You’re tainted…”

Dick glared at him and spoke through his harsh panting, “I’m not tainted.”

“You’ve ruined yourself.”

“I didn’t ruin anything…” There was a tilt in Dick’s voice as he sat up unsteadily, seeing Slade pull out a dagger and hand it to Rose.

“I raised you to be perfectly and flawlessly impeccable. A perfect... omega… a companion of sorts…”

Dick’s insides curled with disgust. “You’re fucking sick.” He said, his tone assessing that filth of an admittance. 

After years of grooming and patronizing, it was beyond doubt that a manipulator like Slade would be somewhat captivated by their own creation. That of which was made to his perfection; into an untarnished ideal. Slade’s malice and goodness were his powers and he used them to his advantage. But any good deeds done by a manipulator were because they wanted something in return. They don’t waste time raising someone into something that can’t benefit them. They were soulless and so they come seeking for another soul… a soul… the very thing they don’t have themselves. If Slade did have a soul, he’d be granted with pity, for those with a soul felt guilt but Slade didn’t have any guilt. _This,_ Dick knew. And he should have known this was the reason why Slade wanted him back. Growing up, all the signs were there but he was just too numb to it to notice. 

“You killed Grant because of that?” Dick almost laughed. “Your own son? Because of me?”

“I had Grant killed because he was a careless idiot.” Slade turned to face the omega. “I had him killed even before I knew you were the one he was after. Good riddance to him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t avoid his fate.”

A sharp uncomfortable sound pierced Dick’s ears, leading him to glimpse Rose’s way. She was sharpening the dagger her father gave her and Dick could only guess where this was leading to.

“You’re insane.” Dick glared at Slade. “If you think you’ll ever get your hands on me, you’re wrong.”

“That look of defiance… this confidence and hope you have…” Slade narrowed his eyes. “It’s not you, Talon.

“You don’t know me.”

“I know you well enough. I was the one that raised you.”

“My parents raised me. You _tortured me_! You should burn in hell!”

In the classic way villains do, Slade wasn't about to pretend to be anything other than what he was. He dealt himself with a smirk as if he’d already won and spoke with a conceded certainty. “It seems as if I’ve gone about this the wrong way. I’ve been lenient with you Talon, raising you to perfection but leaving some of your more... personal attributes intact. You’ve been separated from me for far too long. You now have this idea that you can overtake me; that you can defy me...” Slade chuckled. “Such wasted potential. But no matter, I will break you, Talon… That's what I do to people like you.”

Dick tried to control his fear but it was difficult especially after Rose handed the dagger to her father. There, the alpha stared at it, testing its sharpness with the tip of his finger. With the inspection over, he was back to looking at Dick with a tiny grin and moved with slow steps.

“Now that you’re back here with me, I’ll satisfy my needs by seeing to your downfall… I'll kill you _bit by bit_ , I’ll strip you of all your confidence; all your hope and dreams. And when you are flying high, I'll drag you down and eat away at your anxieties just enough to rot your brain until you are nothing more than a _doll_ begging for any random alpha to comfort you…”

Dick let out a trembling breath when Slade stopped in front of him, staring down at him with deadened eyes.

“Ah, I almost forgot… your pup…” 

Dick stopped breathing, feeling a strange sort of pain tug at his heart. It was almost foreign... as if it weren’t his own.

“Your child will be in my possession as well.”

“You… you wouldn’t.” Dick felt compelled to touch his stomach; to place a hand in the middle as a sign of protection. Naturally, those instincts flowed through him even though he’d never had them before. 

“It will be a pleasure of mine to turn your own pup against his father, Bruce Wayne...” Slade declared with conviction. “You’re trapped here now. And once your bond breaks with that playboy, you'll be under my control once more. Your life will be determined by what I decide. _Fully._ And when that time comes, there will be no more rewards for you Talon.”

“You'll never break me…” Dick threatened but he was afraid all the same. He strained against the ropes, his soul longing for freedom but he knew that wouldn’t come soon. 

“No, that’s where you’re wrong.” Slade held Dick's jaw steady and a flash of a dagger made its appearance. “You _will_ become a broken omega that will be made in my image.”

Dick knew what was coming but that didn’t soften the blow of his vision being blotched with violent colors.

~*~

Tim’s consciousness stirred and he was sitting up before he could even open his eyes. He checked his surroundings, seeing a barren gray-colored room with no windows. He remembered enough but not a lot. After entering the van and having a sack thrown over his head, Tim was forced to keep still and keep quiet. They made multiple stops, specifically two, picking up two different people, none of which he recognized or even had time to recognize because, after a while, he was given a sedative. Now he was here... 

Recalling the dire situation he quickly climbed off the bed, feet hitting the hard ground as he sped across the room toward the first door he saw. He turned the handle, body giving away to the door opening. He was almost surprised it was unlocked until he saw that the room was just a bathroom. 

Tim turned and looked around the room, seeing a set of walls that merged so well, it was hard to find where the other door was. It was an isolation type of room. No windows. No blemishes. Almost like a vault. The only way to enter was from the outside. Tim felt around the walls, busily searching for any out of place grooving. Along with this method, he pressed his ear to the wall, listening for the densest area. Every five inches, he paused and held his breath, hoping to discover any sort of fissured sound that would add to his knowledge about the space he was in. Then it hit him, a tiny gust of cold air coasted across his skin. It was an opening that was undoubtedly covered by whatever material coated the entire room but this was the door. Tim pulled back a bit and looked at the area he was in. 

Out of nowhere, a piercing scream echoed outside of the room, causing Tim to fall to his knees due to a sharp feeling of pain going through his head. He held his head in his hands, having never felt such intense emotions before. He strained to concentrate as the painful sensation spun through his mind. “What the fuck?” He said, making an instinctual decision to move away from the door. Once his back hit the side of the bed, he took a deep breath and tried to regain his senses. He lay his head back and stared at the bright gray ceiling, trying to comprehend the strange sensations. There was something in that scream and the pain behind it that had Tim on edge. It wasn’t until he realized that the emotions had dulled a bit-- as a result of distance-- that he realized where it came from. 

“Dick!” Tim dashed towards the door and started banging on it, ignoring the ever-growing emotions of pain. “Dick!” He shouted as loud as he could, hearing it reverberate off the walls of his own room. “Dick! It’s, Tim! I’m in here!” He tried again, feeling those emotions of pain gradually dull. He shouldn’t even be able to sense Dick from this far away but the pain must have been that immense for it to happen. And now, the sensations were getting further away. 

_Where were they taking him? What happened to him? Why was he even here?_ A million questions fumbled through Tim’s mind as he continuously banged on the door, calling out Dick’s name. If Dick was here then that meant something happened to Bruce and… Jason… With that thought, Tim began kicking the door as hard as he could, taking a step back, charging forward, and doing it all over again.

After what felt like hours Tim fell to the ground, having wasted energy, panting harshly. Never once did he take his eyes away from the door. He wiped at the sweat on his forehead, feeling the last of Dick’s emotions vanish into thin air. Tim clenched his fist and stood up once again, suddenly hearing a low humming sound coming from his neck. He touched his throat, just now noticing a thin collar was secured there. He reached for the back, finding a fingerprint register that he evidently wouldn’t have access to. Upon hearing the collar's humming sound rev up, Tim attempted to tear it off but it was perfectly fitted to where he couldn’t even dig his fingers in between the hard palate and his neck.

As soon as Tim gave up and let go, the humming sound stopped, causing Tim to take a deep breath full of relief. Then it came to him in one full wave, making the omega fall on the floor, his brain stuttering along with his body as he was shocked by the thin device. Pain wracked through his body, tormenting, corroding him from the inside. He could hear the door opening from behind him but he couldn’t control his body enough to turn around and see who it was. 

“Finally got you to calm down.”

Tim heard a voice then felt a hand securing his arms behind his back. He let his body be pulled up and dumped back onto the bed. After a few seconds, he took a sharp inhale when the shocking sensation ceased. Tim laid there, eyes wide, body oddly convulsing from the aftershocks. 

“Listen, whiz kid, try not to move around much. The shock collar is set to equal the amount of adrenaline you’ve used every eight hours… the more you move around, the greater the shock will be.”

A face appeared in Tim’s sight but he stared back blankly, not fully recognizing who it was. At the moment, he was more focused on evening out his body's reaction toward the overwhelming shock.

“You got that, whiz kid?”

The man snapped his fingers, causing Tim to blink away his hazy vision, focus clearing to see a man with a turban on his head. 

“Good, you’re still there. I hope you heard what I said about the collar. I don’t mind repeating if you want me to?” The man reached for an answer but Tim wouldn’t cave into this man’s seemingly casual attitude.

“Wh… where’s Dick?” Tim stuttered, asking right off the bat. “Where did you psychopaths take him?” 

“Psychopaths, huh? I’d say I’m the most normal one here.”

“Tell me what you did to him!?” Tim yelled, hurling his body forward only to be slammed back down on the bed.

“Calm down there, whiz kid.” The man chuckled, keeping a hand on Tim’s chest. “Didn’t I just warn you about building up adrenaline?”

Tim glared at him. “You’re that one alpha from the promenade."

“You recognize me, huh? It kinda feels nice to be famous.” He slipped Tim a smile and withdrew the pressure of his hand. “I’m Tiger, by the way, but-”

Tim suddenly leaned forward and spit in Tiger's face, using that as a distraction to shove the alpha away and sit up. His body staggered forward, crawling to the foot of the bed. The idiot left the door open and that’s exactly where Tim was headed. Even he could admit this decision was impulsive but if he just ran, maybe he’d get somewhere. But as bad decisions go, failure follows and Tim had been at the end of that shortcoming. He was caught mid-step by another shock of the collar, pulling his balance sideways until his shoulder hit the ground.

“Feisty little thing, aren’t you?”

Tim watched a shoe step into view, and the owner succeeded in closing the door.

“I forgot to tell you that the collar can be controlled remotely too.” Tiger scoffed a laugh and waved the small remote in front of Tim’s trembling body. In no time, Tim was hauled off the floor and placed back onto the bed. “I think you better stay still this time around. I don’t want to hurt you more than I have to. And if you’re that desperate to know what happened to Talon? Dick? Whatever the fuck you wanna call ‘em. The “psychopaths” took him to a room similar to yours. But don’t worry,” Tiger patted Tim’s shoulder. “He’ll be treated like a princess since he’s pregnant and all.”

Tim felt a bit relieved knowing that nothing uncalled for would happen to Dick. Still from those screams he heard earlier, he knew something bad had already happened.

“He’s got one of the biggest rooms in this place.” Tiger moved away from the bed, slipping the remote into his pocket. “With a lavish bathroom, soft mattress, comfortable set up. I’d say he’s good to go.”

Tim, slowly but surely gaining back his senses, assessed the man named Tiger. He wore a playful smirk that seemed to be natural and not forced. His entire demeanor was relaxed and there was an air about him that didn’t scare Tim like Slade’s did or make him angry like Joey. But Tim knew this man was no less insane. He was working for DS, for fuck’s sake! He must have been as much of a murderer as Slade was. He sure looked built for the job- arms and legs honed with muscles that came from training. The only thing that struck him as different was the missing DS tattoo.

“You’re giving me a lot of extra information,” Tim spoke, referring to Tiger's additional details about Dick’s comfort. Simply telling him Dick was safe was enough but Tiger was… “Are you trying to get on my good side?” Tim narrowed the alpha’s actions down to a T.

Tiger lifted a brow. “You’re going to be here for some time, whiz kid. I’ve been put in charge to look after you so I think we should try and get along.”

“Like hell, we will. And stop it with the fucking nicknames.” 

It was a refusal that Tiger didn’t expect, given the sigh that followed. “Listen, we don’t plan on hurting you… Besides the collar, which will be caused by _your own doing_ , we plan on treating you well. You’ve got a bathroom right here, a few books there, and we’ll bring in food throughout the day. All you need to do is relax. Any more questions before I go?”

“What does Slade want with me and Dick?”

“...You should already know I can’t answer that question.”

“Does Dick know I’m here?” Tim asked without missing a beat.

Tiger raised a brow at that. “You really know how to ask all the right questions don’t you?”

“Does he know I’m here or not?” Tim doubled down on his inquiry.

Tiger shrugged one shoulder, seeming to give in. “No, he doesn’t know you’re here."

“Why is tha-”

“Stop.” Tiger cut him off. “My guess is that you’re going to keep asking questions I can’t answer.”

“You’re the one that asked me if I had any questions.”

“Yeah, well my bad- let's stop for now. I’m a little tired, I’m sure you are too.” Tiger opened the door and gave Tim a brisk wave before he left.

Tim fizzled with annoyance when the door clicked shut. He touched the collar on his neck, already making speculations as to why Dick hated wearing them now This shock collar was no walk in the ballpark so who knew what other contraptions and bullshit Dick had been through. He had to get them the fuck out of here. He needed to somehow contact Bruce… that would be his first mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty sure you guys can guess what Slade did to Dick... if not, you'll know soon enough 😔
> 
> **Okay so, Fate and Destiny are themes that have been running throughout my entire story. I’ve kinda been playing around with the notion of it being some sort of unseen energy that guides the characters (mostly Dick) along. 
> 
> I’m explaining this because, at the beginning of the chapter, I put in a part as if Dick’s seen a vision. And I’ve mentioned before in the story that soulmates connect “off old feelings” meaning old feelings from their past lives because soulmates were once one soul and have now split into two. Also, in the last chapter, Dick had an epiphany moment. He now has a strive to do good for himself with his destiny changing and all that. So that's why he had this vision in this chapter. You guys can speculate whether it's from the future or past life or whatever lol.
> 
> I hope it doesn't feel too out of place lol. I mean it is in a way, buuut I just hope it’s not like “Ohh shit, there are magical visions now” or something lol. 😅
> 
> **One more thing, I saw that I accidentally wrote Rose was a beta, but she’s not. She’s an omega. I corrected it. 👍👍


	32. The Path Ahead

Who mattered more?

It wasn't a question of who mattered more or who he pitied more but a question of who was alive and who wasn’t.

When Bruce awoke with a throbbing pain in his head and a bullet in his shoulder, his members surrounded him--along with his doleful son-- and told him of what conspired while he was unconscious. A pile of information had been given throughout the entirety of the night until the sun rose until Bruce decided they should head back to the Manor. It was there with everyone present, that he finally watched the video. His eyes bore into the moving image, not really seeing or feeling anything but at the same time, recoiling internally, retreating outwardly by looking away before Selina's eventual ending.

Then he thought of his past and to one of the few pieces of Selina’s existence that would sit in the palm of Bruce’s hand in the form of a letter. Those of which he’d already memorized and could recite if asked to do so and yet, he always found himself rereading them. He’d do it over and over again until he felt some semblance of peace. In spite of that, he met Dick and found that committing himself to that trivial act wasn’t going to bring Selina back.

Nothing would and everyone knew that.

So, once again he pondered the question of who mattered more? Who he pitied more; whose side did he favor.

None. 

To him, the inevitable truth was that this was no one's fault and that he would never choose a side. Bruce was… mentally bruised from seeing the video; mentally absent after seeing the truth but his anger remained equivalent to both sides- to Selina’s unfortunate death and to the deprival of Dick’s control.

“It’s obvious they did this to stall for time-- getting Bruce hurt so he won’t be able to fight.” Kathy speculated, eventually stopping her pace, glancing at Jason and Bruce who’d kept quiet since they came back to the Manor. 

“I agree,” Stephanie spoke up from across the room. She leaned back against the table that was occupied by the main computer monitor. Barbara stood next to her, having been called here to analyze the video. She’d been just as quiet as Jason and Bruce but Stephanie's impending claim seemed to distract her.

“They could’ve easily killed him but they purposely aimed at his shoulder to play for time. The doctor said it’s gonna take at least three months to heal since the tendon is torn.”

Kathy hummed in agreement. “Well, it gives us time to come up with some sort of plan.”

Beside Kathy, sat Bette, whose constant sighs expressed her decaying mood. “Are you all seriously saying we’re going to save _that_ guy; the same guy who killed Selina?”

Everyone, excluding Bruce, turned to her, all sighing at her reluctance to understand.

“Tim was captured too.” Jason pointed out the obvious. 

“I never said that I didn’t want to save Tim,” Bette said in a means of defending herself but the sentiment didn’t quite catch on with Jason.

“You can’t pick and choose who you want to help in this situation. Both of them were taken to the same place by the same people, you dumbass.”

“Who do you think you’re talking to, Jason?” Bette pinned her eyes on the alpha. “You forget that I’m a grown woman. Have some respect.”

“I don’t care.” Jason backfired. “Someone needs to talk some sense into you because _fuck_ Selina at this point.” He growled, not regretting anything that spewed from his mouth. “She’s already dead. You can watch the video again if you’ve forgotten about it that fast.”

“Do you know how many years we’ve spent looking for her murderer?” Bette slowly stood from her chair, facing Jason head-on. “She deserves justice in her own right for having to die the way she did.”

“And you don’t think Dick deserves justice too?” Jason pushed away from the wall he was leaning against, assessing his cousin with growing agitation. “He didn’t do anything to deserve what he’s been through either. You saw what he looked like during that video, even Babs knows this.”

“He’s right.” Barbara turned away from the monitor. “It’s dissociation…” She claimed; although she was a bit surprised at what she saw, Dick’s state of mind in this instance was still questionable. “This is what I was talking about with Bruce when I diagnosed him yesterday.” 

Barbara fiddled with the mouse, going back a few frames before playing the video again. “He doesn’t even look like himself. He’s stiff; he’s not blinking as much as a normal person would; his tone is dull; his eyes are unfocused… none of this is natural.” She paused the video and turned to give Bette her full attention. “I know how you feel, Bette, but you can’t blame him for this, especially considering his situation. I’ve never experienced an alpha order before but from what I’ve studied, it’s like being trapped in a doorless room with fire surrounding you from all sides. Your mind _has_ to find some sort of peace during that situation. As a result, you’ll eventually be forced to accept your fate of being burned alive. And here,” Barbara tilted her head toward the monitor. “Dick has done the same thing. He’s adapted to the situation because escaping an alpha order is _impossible_.”

“It is impossible...” Kathy joined in, unconsciously touching the back of her neck. As an omega that used to be paired with an abusive mate, she felt as though she could explain further. “One thing I’ve learned about alpha orders is that it’s a one-track system. And like Babs said, there’s no possible way to break away from it, so you have to conform to it.”

“Then what order did he receive during that time?” Bette questioned while looking around the room. “To kill all of these people? Maybe. But for him to also say the words ‘kill her’ so casually, that doesn’t exactly sit well with me. It’s not like he was ordered to say that, right? That was all him.”

“You’re right, in a way…” Barbara agreed to an extent. “Yes, if he wasn’t specifically ordered not to say those words, then he wouldn’t have said them but the order for him to kill all of these people was still dormant within his mind. At that time, all of those people needed to die… Selina included... which is why he probably said those things. It’s not like he meant it or anything but out of sheer inescapable pressure, the job had to be finished.”

“This is insane…” Bette shook her head. “All of you having to explain what he ‘truly’ meant to excuse what happened won’t change anything. Selina was still--”

“That’s enough about Selina,” Bruce pried his way into the conversation, bringing everyone's attention his way. “I’ve heard enough about her…”

Bette squinted her eyes in speculation and disbelief. “It’s like Selina’s death all of a sudden doesn’t affect you anymore”

“If you think for one second that this video doesn’t affect me or anyone else here, then you’re wrong. It affects me deeply… negatively. We’ll get justice for Selina too, it’s what she deserves but I’m trying to remain level headed- to think about the future and not the past.” He needed to weigh his options; he needed to consider all possibilities and reflect on everything Dick had provided him during these last six months. There was confusion, pain, and suffering all caused by Dick doubting his own self-worth. The omega needed to find balance and no matter how long it took, no matter what happened to Selina, Bruce would be there to guide him along.

“I understand what you’re saying, Bruice, but--”

“You need to be reasonable, Bette, and thank God you haven’t experienced an alpha order once in your entire life.” There was a noticeable shift in Bruce's mood but no one questioned it. An angry Bruce was someone no one wanted to mess with. “This is _all_ Slade’s doing,” His tone darkened. “Not Dick’s. And if you have a hard time accepting that, you’re always free to leave.”

“I…” Bette stepped back. “I won’t leave. I want to help find Tim and-”

“Tim and Dick are a package deal,” Jason explained once more. “It’s not one or the other, it’s both.”

“I agree,” Stephanie said. “There should be no half-hearted attempts on this job. It won’t be easy. You’re either fully in or fully out.”

“I’m in,” Kathy said, followed by everyone else except for Bette.

Bruce sighed, dragging a hand down his face. “I guess I should let you all know that Dick is… he’s pregnant.”

“What!?” Kathy’s face twisted with shock.

“I was wondering when you were going to mention that.” Barbara murmured.

“Fuck… what if they hurt h-”

“Don’t say that, Steph,” Kathy warned. “We don’t know for sure. All we can do is hope that nothing bad happens to him.”

They were going to get an abortion but this was different. His child shouldn't have to die in the hands of Slade. Bruce wasn’t going to let this happen again.

“I’ll help you.” Bette suddenly stepped in, her stubbornness seeming to have been bled dry. “To save... _b-both_ of them.” Her hesitation was telling but Bette had never done anything to corrupt the members' distrust for her so they all approved.

“It’s sad that it has to be this way…” Stephanie said. “It’s also strange how everything connects… DS being the ones that killed the Risen group and Dick just so happened to be there with Selina… What does DS have against Risen, anyway?”

“A lot, considering they slaughtered the entire group.” Kathy furthered her suspicions. “If anything, I thought they would work together but if they aren’t, then how exactly did Risen get this video?”

“Just in case you all forgot, Holly was the one that sent us that video first.” Stephanie reminded them. “We all received the video text later on.” 

“But she also said she is willing to help us out if we’ll let her.” Bette stared pointedly at Kathy, already knowing her answer before she revealed it.

“No, we don’t need her help.”

“I’m with Kat,” Jason spoke up, getting everyone's attention. “Tim told me that Holly was the one that told Dick about Selina at the Gala.” 

“Holly did?” Bruce narrowed his eyes.

Jason nodded. “He was supposed to tell you but I guess he never got around to doing so.”

“Why would she do that?” Bette wondered.

“Because she’s a bitch, that’s why.” Kathy retorted.

“She told Dick about Selina, then she sent a video about Dick’s involvement with Selina’s death. And Risen seems to be only targeting Bruce and his love interest...” Jason muttered to himself, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Jay, what are you getting at?” Kathy questioned.

Jason shrugged, “I’m saying that she’s suspect.”

“How far are you reaching by calling her a suspect?” Kathy really wanted to know Jason’s thoughts on Holly and so did everyone else.

“Well... we... never found that Risen spy.”

“What?” Bette snorted. “Are you kidding? That’s ridiculous.”

“Think about it.” Jason pressed the matter. “Kat’s never liked her and you guys told me yourself, that she came out of nowhere.”

“Yes, but if that were the case, why would she reveal the whereabouts of her own group to the very people who were trying to kill them?” Bette argued along the lines of common sense. “Why would she put her entire group in danger? No matter which way you think about it, that doesn’t make any sense.” 

“Brucie, what do you think?” Kathy turned to the alpha, hoping he was with the whole idea of Holly being suspicious but his reply determined otherwise.

“We can’t base this off of assumptions. We need more evidence. I’ll look into a few things tonight-”

“No, you need to rest.” Kathy frowned at him, already knowing her cousin was thinking of doing unnecessary things while he was injured. 

“I’m back with the tapes.” Jean made his presence known as soon as he stepped off the elevator. “I made sure to switch these with fake ones so the owners of those buildings wouldn’t notice.”

He set up the tapes and projected them onto the monitor, showcasing different angles of Slade kidnapping Tim.

“An eye-patch and white hair, what a striking image. Too bad it’s blurry.” Stephanie mused as they continued watching.

“There,” Barbara pointed to the screen. “You can see when the order hit Tim.”

“Only a Prime Alpha would be able to use an order on Tim,” Jason said. “Dick would have told us if Slade was Prime. That would’ve been the first thing he told us about him.”

“So what are you saying?” Bette looked at Jason. “That Slade suddenly turned into a Prime Alpha?”

“Well,” Barbara pondered. “They _did_ create a drug that can take away a person's dynamic so maybe… they created a drug that can change a person’s dynamic as well.”

Everyone was a bit startled by Barbara’s hypothesis, but no one was really denying the prospect either. It only made sense that if one were possible then the opposite would be too.

“How would they even do something like that?” Kathy walked over to where Babs stood, trying to gauge her train of thought. 

“I’m not a scientist or anything.” Barbara began. “But from a logical standpoint, it would make sense that to change our original dynamic into nothing or into something else, we would need to use something to combat it. We would need something stronger… something from a stronger dynamic. Like a Prime Alpha for example.”

“A Prime Alpha…” Kathy considered the idea with earnest. “If that’s the case then maybe they already have one in their possession.”

Jason nodded. “Maybe the drug is faulty and that's why he needs a Prime Omega too.”

“Using Timmy as a lab rat…” Stephanie scorned the notion. “That's horrifying.”

“How do you think they created the heat suppressor all those centuries ago?” Barbara begged the question then gave an answer. “By using people as lab rats. Back then though, were more primitive times and the public probably volunteered themselves, thinking that the medicines were going to work when in truth, the test had a 50/50 chance of survival. Those tests would be hard to run now since we have a larger population that has access to social media. It would have to be done discreetly.”

Kathy rubbed her temple in frustration before asking, “Who would be smart enough to make the perfect formula that would be able to take away one’s dynamic and to also change one's dynamic?”

“Someone who’s smart and knows how dynamics work,” Jean said simply.

Stephanie sighed. “There’s a lot of scientists out there with that expertise. I think it will take some time to figure it out but more on that later… Tell me, Jay, what other information has Dick given you about DS?”

“A list of twenty-plus base locations scattered around Blüdhaven, Trenton, and Gotham.”

“I’m sure all of these bases aren’t active as of right now,” Bruce spoke up. “Dick said they moved a lot but that doesn’t matter, we should still check them out.”

Kathy sighed. “That’s going to take a while. More than a month probably.”

“Then we better start now.” Bruce proposed. “In truth, they’re probably waiting for our bond to break so Slade can use orders on Dick again. We won’t stall for time like they want us to.” 

Kathy looked at her cousin with worry. “For your bond to break that will take at least two months… What if we don’t make it in time?”

“Even if we don’t make it, that won’t change anything. We’re still going after them.” Bruce confirmed.

“Bruce,” Barbara’s troubled tone caught everyone's attention. “Whatever happens to him will be out of your hands once your bond is broken. Dick will be put into a position where he can be _completely_ controlled and that is not a good place for him to be right now… mentally…” She warned. “Re-experiencing the life he’s been away from for half a year I… I can’t promise you that he will come out the same way he did before.”

“I know that…” Before long, Bruce put pressure on his uninjured arm to stand up from the chair. “We have some long days ahead of us. We should get some rest while we can.”

“We’re allowed to stay here now?” Kathy asked with a sarcastic smirk.

“For the time being, yes.”

“We’ll keep that in mind.” She said before the members parted their ways after saying their goodnights, leaving Jason and Bruce alone.

While Bruce was testing the limits of his mobility with his injured arm, Jason had long since walked over to the monitor and rewatched the video of Tim’s abduction.

“Jason, you should get some rest too.” 

“No, that’s alright.” The alpha muttered after replaying the tape once more. “I’m gonna stay up a bit longer…”

To keep the strain away, Bruce held his injured shoulder and made his way behind Jason’s chair. “Tell me what’s wrong?”

“I… I could’ve done something to help Tim. Fuck the guy shooting at me, I should’ve just run over there and… Dammit!” Jason slammed his hand on the table, causing the sound to reverberate throughout the room.

There was a beat of silence and a contemplative moment on Bruce’s end. “It's a good thing you didn’t.” Bruce ended up commending his actions and that was everything Jason was unprepared for. The younger alpha looked up at Bruce, seeing him gaze at the video with a critical eye. “Somehow or another, he is a Prime Alpha; his orders could’ve easily influenced you as well.”

“I know that but… the way Tim looked at me when he got into the van… I-I can’t get it out of my head.”

“We’ll find him.” The possibility was secure in Bruce's mind as if he were able to see the future. “We just have to be patient.” 

Bruce could say that and sound convincing, too bad patience wasn’t one of Jason’s strong suits. And that could be said for both of them, especially when it came to their family. But somehow or another, Jason was starting to feel desperate… seeing how Dick turned out, he didn’t want any of that to happen to Tim. He felt a sense of duty when it came to keeping his brother safe. Given, it came from years of comforting him but now it had, in some way, escalated beyond his instinctual control. His patience was bordering the line of snapping and he honestly didn’t know how long he could wait.

“For now, let’s go to bed,” Bruce said and this time, Jason followed without complaint. Sometime thereafter, when they were on the second floor, Jason figured it was best to see if Bruce was as composed as he put off.

“Will you even be able to sleep tonight, B?”

When they stopped in front of Bruce’s bedroom, he spoke. “Probably not, but I’ll try.”

“What are you gonna do if your bond ends up breaking?”

Bruce hesitated, his brows furrowing slightly. “...It doesn’t matter if our bond breaks… we’ll still be soulmates. We’ll just make another one.”

“I heard it hurts like shit though.”

“It’s supposed to, yes…”

Jason could tell Bruce was walking on a thin line of self-control. Internally, he was probably losing it but he chose to remain calm in front of everyone else like he usually did. Seeing Selina’s death, his mate and son being kidnapped all in one day must have been torture for him. And if it went his way, he wouldn’t tell anyone about his bond-breaking no matter how bad it hurt.

“B, if it does end up happening-- your bond breaking-- at least let me and Alfred know abo--”

“Jason.” Bruce stopped him before placing down a faux reassurance between them. “I’ll be fine… goodnight.”

Jason watched Bruce enter his room and close the door and he couldn’t help but be worried about his health. He didn’t want Bruce falling back into that same pit he was in when Selina died. He didn’t want to see his dad lose himself… not again...

~*5 Days Later*~

**______**

**Location: Unknown**

**Time: Unknown**

**Status: Omega 21365 [Detained]**

“Father, are you sure about keeping his child alive?” The query was posed in the weapons room, by an uninterested Rose. She didn’t necessarily care what her father did, as long as it didn’t immediately affect her. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little miffed about the entire situation, for they still had deals to pass. “Risen is the one that wants to kill Bruce Wayne. You can’t honestly break our deal with them because you want to play out your little fantasy.”

Slade didn’t look away from the weapons table, taking a minute to sift through a few items before answering. “It was just a precautionary warning, Rose. We won’t break our deal with Risen but my wish for training Talon’s child still remains true… How has he been since I’ve been gone?”

“He hasn’t spoken since then. He’s been eating but… that’s all.” Rose understood this on a deeper level. Sometimes she could still feel an aching pain in her missing right eye and after it happened, she was in a state of shock that lasted for a couple of days. In this retrospect, Talon was no different, if not, in a worse state of shock than she was in.

“His bond will break in no more than two months,” Slade mentioned.

“What do you plan on doing with him, then?”

Slade stopped short, slipping Rose a look of eager fulfillment. “Breaking him. It’s what I should’ve done a long time ago.”

“Father, don’t... don’t forget about our deal.” She awkwardly shifted on her feet. “You said you’d tell me where my mother is if I got Talon back to you. You said I could see her.” Something changed in her father's eyes then and with an accustomed compliance to his mood, she immediately lowered her head, looking down at the floor. 

“I'm afraid I don’t recall ever saying that,” Slade said, his articulation making it seem as if Rose was lying.

She gulped, clenching her jaw before speaking. “Father, you said that if I-

“Even if that were true,” Slade interrupted his tone lowering. “You can’t leave even if you wanted to.”

Rose knew he was right. As a requirement, she took the dynamic-less drug that removed her scent, her instinctual influence, and heat periods but there was one thing the drug couldn’t take away from an omega in particular. _The orders_ … Her father could still place orders on her but, to her chagrin, he could no longer take them away. Therefore, the orders she’d received a long time ago were still there, engraved into the back of her mind… _just sitting there_ … leading her astray... 

Their scientist had given them no explanation as to how the orders still existed and when they wanted to run more tests to try and take them away, Slade rejected the offer. Rose would never deny her anger for her father at that moment; her anger for everything, really. While Talon was out there with Bruce Wayne, she was stuck in here, _indefinitely_. As if she didn’t already hate Talon enough for her father’s leniency towards him but now, it had escalated. 

“I hope you understand the position you’re in, Rose.” 

“...Yes, father.”

“I’ve told you this since you were a child- to stop asking about her. No matter how much you want to see her, it’s not a good idea.” Slade gazed at Rose, a mocking smile curling onto his lips. “Do you want a repeat of what happened when you first left? Rejection?”

Rose pressed her lips firmly together before responding, “...No father.”

“Then it’s final. The deal is off.” His smile faded and a hollow stare replaced it. “It’s just something you just have to accept, my dear Rose. The faster you do, the better the outcome.”

“I… I understand, father.”

“I’m glad you see it my way. You’re dismissed.”

As quietly as she entered, Rose exited the same way, walking down the hallway with soft steps. With her gaze set straight ahead, she waited until she was far enough to stop and slam her fist against the wall. There was a faint echo and when the sound diminished completely, Rose slid down until her knees touched the ground and her forehead hit the wall. _She couldn’t leave the clan; she couldn’t leave her father's side. She was stuck here._ She closed her eyes, not allowing her sorrow to seep anywhere past her features. _She needed to get over it._ Given that, Rose straightened up, slipped back into a very practiced aloof expression, and returned to her prior stroll. It wasn’t long before she made it to the kitchen area, seeing Tiger and Karly conversing.

“Ah, Rose, I was just about to call you.” The old woman said to her. The younger version of Karly was still a fresh image in Rose’s mind. She was forty-five at the time when they met but now she was sixty years old and still working for her father. It wasn’t until her teen years that she discovered Karly wasn’t an assassin but a normal woman, looking for a way to make easy money. Even though she knew about their professions and she definitely had enough money to retire, she turned a blind eye to it and stayed. Her reasons? No one knew. She kept them a secret.

“Here’s Talon’s dinner.” She placed a plate of pasta on the bar with a glass of cold water.

“How’s babysitting going for you?” Tiger asked after Rose grabbed the plate.

“You already know how much I hate it. First with Cassandra, now with Talon.” She sighed. “I’d rather be on a mission right now.”

“I think I have it worse. The whiz kid has a feisty attitude.” Tiger laughed, if not for remembering but maybe a bit fondly.

“Mm, Good luck with that,” Rose answered in brief, lastly grabbing the cup before walking down the path to Talon’s room. She managed to punch in the code with a glass of water in her hand and opened the door. As she anticipated, Talon was laying on the bed with his head under the comforter but it wasn’t as if she didn’t understand. Having only one useful eye made it harder to adjust to bright lighting. 

“Talon, it’s time to eat.”

_No response…_

Usually, she’d want a reaction but she didn’t have to worry about his lack of response. After a few hours, she would come back into the room and find the plate empty of food which was the only thing that mattered. Talon’s silence was something she was used to anyways. Growing up, he was never one to engage in any sort of conversation. More often than none, he remained quietly obedient. 

Rose sat the plate down on the desk beside the bathroom door before venturing across the room and pulling back the comforter. She watched Talon move to cover his eyes, making a soft groaning sound as he turned his head into the pillow.

“We need to change your gauze,” Rose said, sliding the desk chair across the room and sitting beside the bed. Then she pulled open the drawer of the nightstand, grabbing a bottle of alcohol, cotton balls, a new gauze sheet, and a roll of medical tape. “Sit up.” She said as she uncapped the alcohol. Without complaint, Talon did as he was told and let Rose tend to his eye.

“Your eye will ache and twitch but after a couple of weeks, all movement will stop and this eye will be completely worthless and dead,” Rose muttered, making sure everything was cleaned properly before moving to replace the gauze. “From now on, your depth perception will be a little off but over time, you'll get used to it.”

_No response..._

Rose sighed softly, admittedly growing tired of the stillness Talon exhibited. He was completely unresponsive with his good eye looking off to the side, displaying an impassive and stolid expression.

“Look,” Rose started again as she taped the gauze over Talon’s eye. “Since you'll be living with us once again, I can help you train with your new visual lackings.” She seamlessly put away the supplies before moving across the room and throwing away the old ones. By the time she turned around, Talon had laid down on his side with his back now facing her. “We’ll have to start after you’ve had the baby of course. It won't be easy but maybe we could-”

“What's the point in all of this?” Dick’s question was spoken barely above a whisper, almost lost in the shuffle of Rose’s footsteps. She stopped in her tracks, placing a hand on her hip and watched Talon from afar.

At present, Dick felt incomplete… 

He’d been snatched away from real life and put into a prison for a second time only to be robbed of something that was his. It was the other half of himself that was missing, invisible, floating away, and disappearing into thin air. It was as if he were missing something or perhaps misplaced something important. It was like a shutter closed halfway, his nails breaking unevenly at the tips, his hair being snipped more than it should. It was like being cut in half mentally and physically. 

Everything was blurry, a little off-balance, a bit irregular and unpredictable. He was still in shock, not truly noticing his surroundings but only what had been left behind in the darkness. He felt like he could see clearly but at the same time, he felt like he couldn’t see at all. And some things he didn’t want to see at all… things colored silver- sharp things that had him experiencing a sense of deja vu. The feelings swept over him in ripples, bringing about a sneaky reminder of what had happened. Especially when the bright lights flickered on and created the same flashing effect of a knife being gouged into his eye. 

In a swift movement, Dick covered his eyes with his hands and took deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down. But he was struggling to keep sane when his entire body was being numbed by agony. He couldn’t forget the image. It was stuck in his brain, more than anything else. It was only when he closed his eye that he felt a guise of peace wash over him. It was only then when he was settled into complete darkness that he felt truly serene. During that time, everything was equal when the darkness covered both halves of him. He no longer felt divided amongst his facial irregularities. Despite that, he knew that his missing eye would forever be a plague to him. And his self-worth would soon follow in his downfall...

“What do you plan on getting out of this, Rose?” Dick spoke again, his tone dry and forlorn. “To watch me suffer when I’ve done nothing wrong to you?”

Rose sighed. “Just eat your food.”

“You heard what your father said the other day.” With persistence, Dick continued. “He finds satisfaction in manipulating people like us… You, Joey, even Grant. _All_ of you mean nothing to him… you’re just pawns… tools… he’s just using you.”

“Father is right in everything he says and does,” Rose answered back, feeling a flicker of doubt before it disappeared. 

“I used to think so too…” Dick admitted. “I still find myself thinking he’s right but I know it’s not true." Slowly, Dick opened his eyes now opting to sit up and look Rose straight in the eye. “Look at what he did to you; to us… you’re not even an omega anymore. He forced you to take that drug, meaning he’s deprived you of your dynamic, taken away your rationality and common sense… he’s torturing you too.”

Talon’s unrelenting stare caused Rose to look away before she replied. “You know, Talon, you’re speaking as if you have _all_ the answers just because you’ve been out _there_ for half a year.”

“You’ve been out there too, Rose.” Dick retorted truthfully. “You know this isn’t right.”

“Don’t tell me what I know…”

When Rose presented as an omega, Dick had hoped that she would finally understand their position as omegas-- being controlled by alphas, that is. Regrettably, she didn’t seem to be stirred by her father’s alpha orders and at the time, Dick had never felt so alone in his torment.

Oftentimes, Dick forgot Rose was an omega at all and that she was under her father’s orders as well. It was because her mood was always too elated with everything around them to have been suffering like he was. That’s what confused him when he was younger. Did she not feel trapped here too? But over time, he had to admit, he didn’t hate Rose, per se. Growing up, she was a bit strange and overly happy but she was a good enough distraction to his tedious lifestyle.

“What orders did he place on you, Rose?” It was a genuine wholehearted question and Rose’s body seemed to stiffen at the inquiry. 

“What?” She asked quizzically.

“You were an omega like me and I know he placed orders on you too. Not so much in the beginning but _after_ you returned to the clan.” 

When Rose came back she was different; angry… She smiled but it always seemed artificial. She began playing around with her victims; took extra time to kill people and to make sure they were dead. She and Dick weren’t particularly close before but after she returned, their relationship was practically nonexistent. The only time they truly conversed was on their missions.

“What were they?” Dick insisted. “What changed you _so_ much that it made you come back to this hell hole? You didn’t use to be like this.”

“I didn’t use to be like what, Talon?” Rose scoffed and tilted her head. “It’s funny how you’re all of a sudden acting like we had this great relationship growing up when we didn’t.”

“I know that but…” Dick looked down at his lap. “I’m just trying to understand you…”

“Understand me?” Rose laughed. “Quite honestly, it seems like you’re trying to make me change sides. Is it so I can help you reunite with the Wayne family? Is that it?”

“No, that’s not--”

“Let me explain something to you, Talon.” Rose’s tone dimmed. “There is no _out there_ , there is only _in_ _here_. And in here, we are all equal. Not one person is greater than the other. We all live together, we all train together and we all kill together... If I deserve _this_ …” She harshly jeered and gestured toward her eye patch. Her voice seemed to tremble with concealed anger that Dick didn’t know she had until now. “...Then you do too. We’re no different. We all deserve to suffer the same consequences of what we’ve done.” Rose knew she sounded exactly like her father, Talon knew too, but she would drown in her own grief before admitting it out loud.

“You’re right.” Dick’s chest tightened with sympathy and understanding, his mood was forever crestfallen. “We both suffered from the same fate... But it doesn’t matter what we’ve done. Not when it isn’t our fault; not when we can stop this. If I’ve experienced what happiness is like, then you deserve to as well.” He countered with sincerity. When he looked up, Rose’s mood seemed to have switched back to its prior indifference and her voice emulated that.

“Should I remind you that once your bond breaks, my father will be in control of you once more.” Rose declared without remorse. “And when that happens, this little facade you’re putting up will disappear. So it’s best to give up this innocent act now while you still can.”

“Rose, just--”

Dick was interrupted by a knock on the door followed by Joey letting himself into the room. “Rose, it’s your turn to babysit.” He said after giving Dick a brief once over.

“Great,” Rose complained.

Dick’s heart stopped at the sight of a child walking into the room behind Joey. A little girl, wearing a white long-sleeve shirt with white trousers. Her long black ponytail dangled off her shoulder as she kept her head low and stared at the ground. At first, Dick couldn’t place why her stance seemed eerily familiar until he thought about his child self who once mirrored that same exact posture; a posture of surrender and submission.

“What is she doing here?” Dick pulled back the covers and swung his legs off the bed, eyes never leaving the little girl. “Why is there a child here, Rose?” Dick asked in a desperate need to know.

“Calm down. You’re getting worked up over nothing.” Rose progressively made her way over to Joey and dismissed him. 

“Why is she here?” With distraught persistence, Dick unwittingly let out distressing pheromones which seemed to capture the little girl’s attention. It was then Dick felt a placid sort of sensation slowly ebb away at his unease in rampant waves- consuming him and enchanting him. To such an extent that when Rose said something, Dick couldn’t quite catch it, for his mind was too busy being lulled into a dreamy state. It would take a while for Dick to realize that the sensations were actually pheromones. They were also extraordinarily powerful and customary to something that he’s never encountered before. A Prime Alpha.

“Talon? Did you hear me?” Rose’s voice pulled Dick away from the unusual trance. “I said I can’t tell you anything about her now. When father wants you to know, you’ll find out.” Rose expected Dick to answer, but the look on his face told her otherwise. For some reason, he seemed to be too focused on the child, his brows crinkling with worry. 

Rose cleared her throat before speaking. “Since you seem to be worried about her, I can just leave her in here with you. I hope that’s alright?” Rose wasn’t really asking. In all honesty, leaving Cassandra with Dick would take a load off her back. With a small smile, Rose lightly pushed young alpha forward so she could open the door and escape. “Oh, I guess I should warn you that Cassandra doesn’t talk.”

Dick frowned, letting his mind run rampant with assumptions. “Why? What did you do to her?”

“Trust me, she was like that way before she got here.” It was a claim that Dick had no reason to believe but he would take it in hindsight for now. “Don’t forget to eat your food. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” 

With that, Rose closed the door, once again, trapping Dick inside the room. He soon made an effort to stand, feeling a little unbalanced when he took his first step. Everything was off-kilter with the use of only one eye but Dick endured the torment until he was crouching to his knees in front of Cassandra. She seemed just as interested, looking up at him with sheer wonder but eventually, she stepped back, unsure if Dick was a friend or foe.

“I won’t hurt you,” Dick reassured her with the brightest smile he could muster up. She stared into his eyes as if she were searching for something and when she found it, she seemed to relax. She was small but seemed perceptible enough to be inquisitive about where to place her trust. “I won’t ever hurt you,” Dick promised, and with that came another promise to end all of this; the entire clan had to be destroyed. Prime Alpha or not, Cassandra was still just a child. And Dick wouldn’t let another child, whether it was his own or anyone else’s, be put under Slade’s control ever again. He would go through any lengths to see that through, with or without Bruce by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of loose ends are coming together but some of you have already guessed a lot of things since waaaay back lol. 😄
> 
> **Possible time skip ahead!
> 
> Comments honestly fuel me guys 😩❤️❤️


	33. What more is There to Lose?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it took a while to upload. My Summer classes started last week. 😩😩

It was a month before the anniversary of Selina’s death when Bruce received a message from an unknown number. The contents revealed that it was once again the Risen group sending three more videos in Bruce’s wake. The alpha would go on to ignore the videos and immediately start investigating the IP address for what felt like the hundredth time. Again, he was left with nothing; no evidence to steer them in the right direction; no closer to finding out who the spy was. Holly was a suspect in this case but it was only through speculation that she became one. Bruce didn’t want to believe she was but he would have to put aside his trust and rely on facts and evidence. This provided him with a blatant means to an end and that was to ultimately watch the videos.

He didn’t tell any of the members he’d received more videos because he, himself, was reluctant to see them. Bruce went weeks without watching them, then days debating on what they would show him. Then in the late hours of the night--the day after the anniversary of Selina’s death--Bruce forced himself to upload the videos to the computer and watch every last second of them.

As he predicted, Dick was at the center of all of them or rather… who he thought to be Dick. In all sincerity, Bruce didn’t know who this person was. This wasn’t the same man he’d put above everything else; the same man he’d given all his time and devotion to. The plausible reasoning for this was simple: he was being controlled at that time and was made to do these things by Slade. Bruce knew this, then again, what did he really know? Dick has never told him anything… not really; not with a considerable amount of detail. 

The longer he watched the footage, the more uncertainty he had gained and Dick would gradually move down on the list of his top priorities. His doubt was growing stronger by the minute until slowly but surely he hit rock bottom. He was once again begging the question of who mattered more? At the moment, Tim did. Subsequently, the idea of ‘deception’ popped into his mind.

Could Dick have been lying to him this entire time? No, there were too many factors that played into that entire notion. But Bruce wouldn’t deny the idea. His omega could have very well infiltrated their lives and delivered practiced lines with innocence. He could have adapted to his role _so well_ that he became the person Bruce knew today. Except Dick’s emotions were always on display for Bruce to feel so those assumptions weren't true either. _What was it then? What was making him doubt Dick in such an unprovable manner?_

_These videos…_

These videos were different from the one with Selina. His omega seemed more aware of everything around him, talking more, reacting faster, then exterminating his target without a second thought. _Children_ … the children Grant mentioned all those months ago. Dick’s targets were families with children and Slade was there with him- guiding him, touching him ever so slightly. Bruce watched with a straight face, his fingernails digging into the palm of his hand, trying to keep his composure. _Dick was being controlled by an Alpha Order,_ Bruce chanted internally. 

Besides Dick’s shameless method of killing, after the job was done, he would use the word ‘Alpha’ to address Slade and his tense mood seemed to calm after Slade called him ‘perfect.’ A word Bruce has said to Dick on more than one occasion and even then, he had been given the same reaction. It was a result of brainwashing, for certain but it made Bruce no less skeptical. _How many other things had spilled over from his life with DS into his life with Bruce?_

The way Dick killed the victims in the videos was shocking and foul. The alpha had to forcibly look away at one point, not really believing any of this footage was true. But it was… and Bruce couldn’t help but look at everything in a new light. He didn’t want to have these doubts when he knew the truth. _Slade used an Order and Dick followed._ But then there remained a possibility of that _not_ being true. Could there have been an instance where Dick wasn’t ordered to do anything? Instead, maybe he adjusted to the lifestyle and killed without sanction after being _told_ to do so and not simply _ordered_ to. Bruce would’ve never thought that was a possibility if Kathy hadn’t given light to these same concerns just yesterday.

Yesterday, on August 1st, was the anniversary of Selina’s death. They were still in search for Dick and Tim, having already rummaged through nine locations in total and ending up with nothing but empty dwellings. Bruce, as he said he would, remained level headed and never revealed any weak point. Here and there, the alpha provided an ounce of frustration but not enough to set him off completely. It was like the Selina situation all over again but this time he didn’t deny the clan’s help. Despite the ongoing mission, Bruce, as a tradition, took time out of his schedule to visit her grave and Kathy came along.

They casually reminisced about the past, something Bruce had been restraining himself to do around Dick. It’s another reason as to why he’d been so hard on the members for doing so because, if he were being honest, it was the exact thing he wanted to do himself. He’d been keeping his hold on the whole ordeal by defending Dick because he wanted his mate to feel like he had a place here; he wanted him to feel comfortable. The topic of Selina made him uncomfortable. Because of this, Bruce had been denying himself of this wonderful nostalgia for too long as a consequence of his own mishaps. If he hadn’t lied in the first place then, Dick probably would be more understanding of Bruce’s needs. And one of them was visiting her grave.

If Dick were here, Bruce most likely wouldn’t have gone there but ever since he saw the video, he could barely bring himself to even _care_ about his mates’ feelings. Bruce actually thought it was a ‘good thing’ Dick wasn’t here at this time. He knew these selfish thoughts were detestable but he couldn’t help it if they happened to cross his mind. It didn’t mean he loved Dick any less or that he didn’t want to save him; he just felt relieved with the pressure being gone; the pressure of not having to face his omega now that the truth was out. Right now he couldn’t even think about looking at Dick in the eyes. Not after all the things he’s seen...

_“Did she truly accept it?” Kathy asked, bringing Bruce’s attention away from the headstone._

_“Accept what?”_

_“Your soulmate? Did Selina really say she would leave if you met him again?”_

_Bruce took a moment to answer but eventually, he uttered, “She did.”_

_With a short pause, a soft breeze passed between them, causing the ancient gates surrounding the graveyard to creak. Kathy looked down at the headstone where there sat a fresh set of flowers below a name._

**_In Loving Memory of_ **

**_Selina Kyle…_ **

_“That’s so… not like her,”_ _Kathy spoke softly, eyes finding her cousin who had yet to look her way. “I would’ve never expected her to accept it.”_

_“It took some years for her to do so.”_

_“I see...” Kathy returned her gaze to the headstone._ _“Remember what you said to me before, about trusting Dick with your life? And I told you that you only mated with your soulmate because he was an immediate fix for you?” She gave a sad smile. “Back then, you were angry with me and denied it but now… I can see you were lying.” She looked up at the same time Bruce faced her. He didn’t renounce what she said and that only seemed to solidify her conviction._

_“Our distrust in him was sensible then, and it’s sensible now.” Kathy proclaimed. “Don’t get me wrong, Brucie, I’m going to help find him but honestly I don’t believe he’s telling you the full truth… I think he remembers more than you and Babs give him credit for.” She sighed softly, her expression changing to a more serious one. “I don’t think he was ordered to kill people every single time. I think sometimes, he’s done it out of his own free will. And I feel like you know that too...”_

“Still awake, Master Bruce?” Alfred's voice drew Bruce away from his memories.

“Can’t sleep,” Bruce muttered, not taking his eyes away from the screen even after Alfred placed a steaming mug next to the keyboard. Bruce recognized the scent of valerian tea that Alfred usually served him to help him sleep.

“You should at least try, sir. You’ve been down here watching these videos all night.”

Bruce didn’t respond. He knew, Alfred, being the only other person he showed the videos to, would come with its consequences. One of those consequences being the butler’s overbearing concern and Bruce couldn’t exactly be angry at him for that.

“Master Bruce,” Alfred spoke again. “Tomorrow is going to be another long day for you. Traveling to New Jersey for the next base location will be tiresome. You should at least get a couple hours of sleep.”

“I know that, Alfred. I’m just… I need more time to think.” The alpha was exceedingly confused. _Was he a fool for putting all of his trust into Dick like Kathy said?_

“Is it Master Dick that troubles you, sir?” Alfred's voice settled into a more nurturing tone, for he was attentive to Bruce’s worries. “If you would allow me to give you some advice.” Alfred didn’t wait for Bruce’s answer. “From my perspective, I believe Master Dick has been very genuine in showing who he truly is in his time spent with us.”

“That’s not it, Alfred. I know who he…” Bruce tapered off, not really trusting in his words. “I know logically who I should blame. It’s Slade, I know this to be true but after seeing those videos… every time I watch them, I feel less and less convinced… as if everything I know about Dick is a lie… but I can’t have these feelings of doubt for him now. Not when we’ve made it this far; not when I promised him I would be there for him. And he’s… he’s carrying my child, Alfred… I can’t doubt him now.” _Bruce couldn’t stop the unease from tumbling into his mind when he thought about it. He loved Dick, he truly did but…_ “I don’t know if I’ll be able to look at Dick the same way again…”

“It’s okay to admit how you truly feel, Master Bruce.”

“But I can’t keep having these doubts…” The alpha sighed tiredly. “The last time I saw him, he finally told me a little bit about his past and he warned me that there was another side of himself that I haven't seen. He didn't want me to think of him any differently but I never expected something like... this.” He pulled his eyes away from the screen. “What if I see him again and my feelings change? He doesn’t deserve more pain than he’s already experienced. If I’m able to make him happy again then I should just accept everything and--”

“Don’t ignore your own feelings, sir. You have a habit of doing that.”

“Then what should I do Alfred? I’m at a loss.” 

Bruce supposed he could admit that Kathy was right- that he didn’t really know who Dick was. Not until after seeing these videos. Although he can ponder on Dick’s state of mind during that time, it was hard to measure the omega’s complete awareness of the situation. Maybe he did it because he was scared to see the truth. Anything outside of what he envisioned to be the perfect mate didn’t exist. And now that it did; now that he’s seen what happened to Selina, he didn’t know if he could accept it.

“There is no clear answer I can give you in a time like this,” Alfred said, briefly catching Bruce’s gaze. “Even _I_ have difficulty accepting the truth of the matter. You’ve only recently started moving on from Miss Kyle… all I can say is that these feelings you’re having are understandable.”

_Understandable…_

How could it be understandable when he’s practically berating his mate? He’s having regrets. He’s been lying to himself. He’s been immature. Bruce mated with Dick before they even revealed their past' to one another. Indeed, they were soulmates but, essentially, it was _only by instinct_ that they were drawn together. It wasn’t by choice. _Not really..._

Bruce came into this relationship with the wrong intentions. Immaturely so. Both of them did. They moved too fast. He loved Dick… he did… but he needed to consider a few things. Their bond would break soon, in no less than a week, and now Bruce had to be more cautious with his decision to make another one. 

~*~

Dick gripped the edge of the sink, breath coming out in short puffs, his heart pounding against his chest. Tension grew in his limbs as his mind replayed another flashback; another renewed memory. Now they started happening less when he was asleep and more when he was awake. There were too many triggers building up, especially after being trapped in a room that was so similar to the others he’d stayed in over the years. The bright lights that never went off, the bland walls, and the humid air. He wasn’t being forced to train or kill but being trapped inside this room was making him lose himself bit by bit. He’d been denied any access to any unnecessary distractions so there was nothing in here to hold his attention except for his own thoughts. Unfortunately, his mind was running rampant with suffocating uncertainties and insecurities that were dragging him down into the unknown.

Dick dared to look at himself in the mirror, which he found out some time ago that he could no longer do. It was because his flaws and imperfections were bared in his reflection. The gauze over his left eye only served to intensify it. And the way his body was changing added to it. There was now a small bump rounding out his stomach. How far along was he? He honestly didn’t know. There was nothing in this room to mark the time and Rose wouldn’t tell him anything. He could only guess with his growing weariness (after being separated from his mate for too long) that it had been more than a month.

Lately, he couldn't sleep even if he wanted to. As time went on, his anxiety turned into panic and paranoia. He found he could no longer stand the sight of anything silver and sharp. The light reflecting off of those sharp objects brought him back to the day when he lost his eye. Thus far, replacing the metal with plastics forks and knives, was the nicest thing Rose had done since he’d been here. This development could account for her own trauma but Dick didn’t bother asking. He’d been trying to talk some sense into Rose for days now until one day he just gave up. Now he barely spoke at all. He was lonely. There were times where he felt like the entire world was slowly disappearing. Being back here created a black hole deep inside his soul that was slowly swallowing all his hopes and dreams. He needed someone there to hold him; he needed someone to depend on.

At the bitter end of his thoughts, something tugged on the side of his pants, bringing his sights towards, “Cassandra…”

More than anything, Cassandra’s pheromones were a relief to him. Potent and instantly alleviating. They were the only thing that kept him relaxed for the short periods of time she was there. Whenever they dispersed about the room, Dick felt as if he’d found himself again. It was during these times he felt sane. Sadly, Cassandra was obviously not used to controlling them, so they never held up for long.

Dick took a deep breath, feeling the alpha’s soothing pheromones disappear before turning around fully. “Did Rose drop you off here again?”

She nodded softly, holding up a coloring book she’d been given some time ago. Dick stared at the book already knowing it was given to her as a result of doing something ‘good. Admittedly, he’d seen the bandages wrapped around both of her arms and legs. He didn’t know what they were doing to her out there and no matter how many times he asked Rose, she wouldn’t answer. 

Ultimately, Dick grew tired of guessing and one day decided to remove the bandages himself. Cassandra didn’t put up a complaint when he did. Small red marks went up and down her legs and they were most likely from needles, seeing as they were tiny. Her arms, on the other hand, had big spotted splotches of bruises that had gone untreated. In his attempts at understanding, he tried asking Cassandra, already knowing he would run into a dead end. 

_“Who did this to you?”_

_She wouldn’t answer. She’d only stare at Dick with a blank expression and go unnaturally still. Dick looked back at her wounds, frowning with concern. He froze after feeling something wet hit his forearm. He glanced up, seeing tears slide down Cassandra’s face._

_“Oh- don’t cry.” Dick instantly let out calming pheromones and slowly brought a hand up to wipe away her tears. “I’m sorry, Cassandra.”_

_She sniffled and started rubbing at her eyes._

_“I'm sorry,” Dick said again, this time hugging the girl to his chest. “You didn’t want me to see, did you?”_

_While hiccuping softly, she surprisingly shook her head. It was the first time Dick had gotten any sort of response out of her and it was all the more impactful, seeing as he was the one that made her cry._

_“I’ll wrap it back up for you, okay?” Dick pulled away and started doing just that. “And I won’t ever take them off again. I promise.” He reassured her and Dick opted to never ask about the bandages again. He’s never dealt with children before but he supposed he should be more cautious next time around. Especially with Cassandra. Who knows what might trigger her_.

Cassandra followed him out of the bathroom, steadily holding onto his pants until Dick grabbed her hand. She seemed to always want to touch him in some way, shape, or form. The omega didn't mind in the slightest and guessed it was something she found comfort in doing. Soon, she diligently perched herself on the desk chair. Some time ago, Dick had moved the desk and chair next to the bed, so he could sit down and watch her color. 

Like usual, Cassandra would set the crayons in a straight line and Dick would watch and try to figure out her pattern. It wasn’t color-coded or alphabetical but maybe the straightness was pleasing to her eye. _Children will do what children do_ , Dick concluded. He watched her quietly start to color out of sheer boredom. Oftentimes, in these quiet moments, Dick found himself subconsciously touching his mating bite. He wanted to make sure it was still there; to know that a linger of hope still remained. Strangely enough, he’d long since lost hope. It was only because he couldn’t forget what Rose said to him the day she held Bruce at gunpoint.

_Do you think he’ll want you after seeing what we did to his precious Selina? Both of us killed her… even though you didn’t deliver the final blow… your participation is enough for him to view you as something to detest... He’ll hate you… just seeing you will make him gag… and for the rest of his life, you will be known as nothing more than the person who killed Selina...”_

_Selina was his everything but Dick was his soulmate..._

There was a blatant difference between the two and it would forever put Dick in second place because without the invisible allure pulling them forward, they wouldn’t even be in a relationship. Finally, after having spent years searching, the Dark Knight clan knew who the murderer was… _Did Bruce hate him now? Would he have to beg Bruce for forgiveness?_ _Where would he go if Bruce left him? What would happen to their baby?_ With those thoughts, Dick almost couldn’t stand himself for wishing Selina never existed in the first place. 

Something tapped on his arm, bringing light to Cassandra holding out a crayon for Dick to take.

“You want me to color?” He asked while glimpsing at the light green crayon then to the coloring book with a butterfly on the page.

She nodded, pushing the book to the edge of the desk.

Dick grabbed the crayon and tentatively turned his head to the side, biting his lip as he tried to keep his focus steady. Eventually, he leaned back a bit, trying to determine the size and space. He still wasn’t used to it, this new depth perception of his that made doing things at an angle a little harder. Something as simple as coloring shouldn’t be as hard as it was but adjusting to his impaired focus was harder than it seemed.

In trying to make short work of his perception, Cassandra peered up at him, studying his every move. Upon finding an answer, she pointed to the paper and kept her finger in place on a spot that could be colored in. 

It was a remedy to Dick’s less than desirable situation and he was a little embarrassed by it. To have a child help him color, of all things but what more could he do? “Thanks, Cass.” He murmured, playfully ruffling the top of her hair before coloring in the butterfly. “You know, butterflies start out as caterpillars, right?”

She nodded.

“Well, I think they're just as pretty as butterflies.”

Dick watched Cassandra shake her head make a face as if the image grossed her out.

He chuckled. “You don’t like them?”

She shook her head some more, scrunching up her nose in disgust, causing Dick to laugh again. Despite not talking, Cassandra was very expressive and when he could, Dick found the time to engage in yes or no conversations with her. He wanted her to feel like she had a choice even if the topics were silly and random. 

Cassandra’s eyes followed Dick’s every move, shifting her finger every so often to point to a new spot. It was a peaceful silence and Dick could tell the young alpha was happy. For a fraction of a second, the corners of Cassandra’s mouth twitched upwards, by the time Dick finished.

“Your turn.” Dick smiled and pushed the book towards her. His wrist was exposed to her as he held out the crayon. Cassandra grabbed the crayon but stopped to peer at the bite marks on his wrist. Then she touched it, staring at it in wonder and looked up at Dick for an explanation.

“This is a pack mark I have with my little brother.” Cassandra blinked and shook her head. Dick translated this into ‘she didn’t understand what he meant,’ so he explained, “You make a pack with someone you trust as much as you would a family member; someone you would protect with your life.” Dick explained. Cassandra stared at the crescent marks, eyes drifting astray to the other scars going up Dick’s forearm. The omega quickly pulled down his sleeves and distracted the young alpha. 

“And here,” Dick surprisingly had to push his hair aside to show Cassandra his mating bite. His hair had grown a bit longer, now covering the span of his neck but not enough to touch his shoulders. “This one is formed with someone you... love. Someone you want to spend the rest of your life with.” 

Cassandra hopped down from the desk chair and climbed onto the bed, wanting to get a closer look. She reached up and touched the mark, running her fingers over the grooves before touching his wrist once more and sniffing at it like a curious young alpha would. “My little brother’s a Prime just like you, actually.” 

Cassandra looked up at him and cocked her head in confusion. It would seem she hadn’t been taught even the most basic things about dynamics which said a lot about her situation. _What happened to her before she got here?_ Regrettably, Dick didn’t know much about Prime dynamics… “I can’t teach you everything but you’ll learn so much more once you’re out of here…” 

_I’ll get you out of here._

He said inwardly while thinking about the aftermath of that idea. If anything were to go right, then Dick wouldn’t mind taking her with him but it was Bruce who would have to make the final call. Where else would she go if not with Dick? Surely not to an orphanage. That would bring more issues into her life. Dick genuinely just wanted this child to remain in her innocence for as long as she could. He didn’t want another child to turn out how he did. No one deserved to be broken like he was _._

Moreover, he didn’t want to exactly bring up the subject of Cassandra coming with him when there was no sure chance they’d be getting out of here. Then again, when else would he say it? His bond was undoubtedly close to breaking, and when it broke, he probably won’t be able to see Cassandra anymore…

It took two entire days for Dick to come to a decision. _He was going to bring Cassandra with him._ Besides being adamant about the decision, he was still insecure. Previously, he wanted to get an abortion because of various reasons. The most recent one being his mental state. He definitely wasn’t emotionally mature enough to have children but still, it was coming whether he liked it or not. 

He had yet to think about the good things that came with having a child, not until he met Cassandra. Perhaps it was his protective instincts kicking in with the need to get her out of here. The reality of it all was that he didn’t exactly know what changed… it was strange. Almost daunting. It was because he’d seen something like a dream but he didn’t exactly remember what it was. It was that foreign feeling again, the same feeling he had when Slade announced that Dick’s baby would be in his possession. The omega knew then he wouldn’t let anything happen to his baby.

The next time Cassandra came in, she didn’t have a coloring book with her. Dick smiled fondly and looked upon the tangled mess her hair was in. Somehow, it always ended up this way after she left the room with Dick and came back the next day. On occasion, Dick took to brushing it when he received the products to do so. It was a task that was able to relax him and Cassandra both which is why Dick took the liberty to brush it out again today.

Cassandra followed him to the bathroom while holding onto the hem of his shirt. After retrieving the brush from the sink he sat down on the bed and Cassandra gladly plopped down in front of him. Dick started brushing, expertly detangling her long pretty hair, which had him considering growing out his hair again. He’d probably have to anyways. The thought of cutting his hair with… scissors... Dick quickly pushed away those thoughts and focused on the task at hand, promptly wondering how exactly Cassandra would react to his question. He waited until he was finished brushing out her hair before he brought it up.

“If I could braid your hair, I would.” He said after they moved back to the bathroom so Cassandra could look at herself in the mirror. She stood on the desk chair, fiddling with her hair before peering at Dick through the mirror. “Too bad I don’t know how to.” He smiled bashfully before taking a deep breath. “Cass, I want to ask you something?”

Running a small hand through her hair, Cassandra turned around and nodded, waiting for Dick to continue.

“What do you think about coming to live with me?”

Dick was startled when Cassandra abruptly looped her arms around his neck. “Cass? Wha-” Dick laughed softly, moving forward and making sure her feet stayed planted on the chair. “Is that a yes?” 

She nodded into the crook of his neck.

She accepted his proposition so easily in the same way she came to accept Dick as a person she could trust. Dick had been thinking about it for days now. It could’ve been that children were just easily trusting and easily influenced. Or maybe, it was simply that Dick had been the nicest person she’d ever met in her entire life. The first thing he said to Cassandra was that he wouldn’t hurt her. And anything she was uncomfortable with, Dick promised to never do it again. Dick knew he had never received these promises growing up in DS. He received gifts but not comfort. _Could Cassandra have been without comfort even before she came here?_ With that in mind, Dick hugged her back. As expected, she wouldn’t let go so he had to carry her back to the bed with his aching back and growing tummy, suffering the weight of a seven-year-old child.

“Alright, then it’s settled. You’ll come live with me.” Dick said once he sat down with Cassandra on his lap. She still hadn’t let go and had now taken to scenting him. “You really like my scent, don’t you?”

She responded with a nod and took another whiff.

Dick huffed a laugh. “I like yours too.” He rubbed gentle circles on her back and they stayed like that for a while with Dick slowly nodding off. Too soon though, was the blissful mood parted by the sound of the door opening. In came Rose, eyes narrowing at the sight before her.

She scoffed. "Your maternal instincts must have doubled since you became pregnant, Talon. Otherwise, I'd never see you like this.”

Dick didn't answer and instead held Cassandra closer, for she went eerily stiff at the sound of Rose's voice.

“Well, it’s time to go, Cassandra.”

She squeezed tighter around Dick’s neck.

“I said, let's go!”

“Don’t yell at her, Rose.” He frowned before pushing Cassandra back enough to see her face. “It’s alright, Cass.” He smoothed a piece of hair from her forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

She hesitated, briefly gripping Dick’s collar before letting go and crawling off the bed. Dick watched her stay clear of any contact made with Rose as she slipped by her and out the door.

“Rose,” Dick called before she could leave.

“What?”

“Can you tell me what the date is?” He asked tiredly. “Please, I… I need to know if my--”

“I can’t do that.” She cut him off then paused, seeing Dick visibly wilt at her answer. To her demise, she took a second to consider the state the omega was in right now. “It…” She hesitated, “It should be happening soon.” 

The answer was vague but Dick knew what she meant. “Thank you.” He said even though he was internally grieving at the idea of his bond breaking. 

“You shouldn’t be thanking me.” She muttered before leaving the room.

Dick collapsed onto his side and touched the back of his neck once again. All he could do was pray that Bruce wouldn’t give up on him. It shouldn’t matter what happened in the video. They were soulmates after all. They were meant to be together… _right?_ In all honesty, Dick regretted not telling Bruce about his past sooner. Perhaps then Bruce would understand; he would know that it wasn’t Dick’s fault…

When Cassandra would leave for the day, the pain would return. The madness was nonstop. He didn’t understand why it was happening. He had resolve. He knew what he wanted to do but his confidence was slowly being drained away. It was because he was back in this environment again. It left him feeling isolated in his own distress.

Then Cassandra would come back and Dick would feel relieved. Then she’d leave again and Dick would drown some more. It was a cycle and the only thing that deviated from that cycle was his changing body. More often than not, his nipples were puffy and throbbed almost constantly, his back ached, his legs cramped, and he was just all around tired. Dick regretted not studying more about his pregnancy then maybe he’d know how to relieve himself from this misery.

At the same time, he was being bombarded with other symptoms after being separated from his mate. He couldn’t sleep. His neck was constantly throbbing. He knew his bond was breaking but Dick felt as though it’d been weeks since Rose gave him the warning. The days ebbed by slower than usual and that's when his mind steadily conjured up his worst fears.

 _The pain that came with a bond breaking_. 

He’s heard of it and he’s seen the results of it but it wasn’t something he wanted to experience. He didn’t want to have another blemish etched into his skin because he was already damaged enough as it is. He didn’t want to be damaged goods. He wanted to be perfect for Bruce. That's all he’s ever wanted, was to be normal… In hindsight, he was honestly waiting for his bond to break. If it was going to happen, he wanted it to hurry up; he wanted to be released from the anticipation. While at the same time, he wanted Bruce to hurry and get here before their bond broke.

_But it was too late…_

A loud wail tore past his lips. The gash was made too quickly, easily throwing Dick into a heap of agony. It was as if his mate wanted their bond to break. _What if that was it? What if Bruce truly hated him for what happened to Selina? Had Bruce rejected him? Bruce was going to leave him here…_

After the pain passed, Dick laid there in the silence of his soul that couldn’t be revived. It was like being in a void; a dark void. A never-ending hollowness that consumed every last ounce of hope he had. 

_He was left with nothing..._

_He was empty..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve skipped 2 months in total (More time skips ahead)
> 
> Tim will appear in the next chapter


	34. New Worries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Contains themes such as Trypanophobia (Fear of Needles) and Hemophobia (Fear of Blood)

“Vic, where did you find this?” Wally asked while watching his girlfriend, Linda, walk into his small kitchen.

 _“I had to do some digging but it was there in Gotham’s missing person’s archives. Looks like it got put on the back burner since it’s been a while- I just sent you the report and the article that came along with it.”_ Wally’s phone vibrated and he looked at the text Victor sent. He stared at the missing person’s report, one that was from fifteen years ago. The beta’s eyes instantly found a picture of Dick as a young child standing in between who he assumed to be his parents.

 _“Whoever made the report public in the first place must have retracted it and that’s why I couldn’t find it in the public records,”_ Victor added.

“Retracted it when?”

 _“Uh…”_ Victor paused, Wally, hearing the click of his mouse. _“Says here that it was eight months ago.”_

“... But they came out to the public only a few of months ago…” Wally grumbled to himself, reading the title ‘The Tragedy at Haly’s Circus’ before scrolling down and looking through the rest of the article.

_“I told you anyone associated with the Wayne family is shady.”_

“When the hell did you come to that conclusion?” Wally asked incredulously.

_“Because all rich businessmen are shady.”_

“Dick’s not shady.” Wally defended as he continued to read about the trapeze accident. He scrolled down a little more and saw that the perpetrator was found dead in an alleyway with his face torn to shreds.

_“Yeah, I don’t know how you still believe that when he stopped contacting you almost three months ago. That’s suspicious.”_

“Don’t say that…” Wally easily defended because the more he kept reading about the accident, the worse he felt. “He’s a cool guy, I like him.”

_“What about all of those times you invited him to hang out with us and he never came?”_

“He doesn’t like to be around a lot of people. He’s… shy...” Wally lied.

_“Sounds like an excuse to me.”_

“Hey, fuck you.” Wally retorted jokingly.

_“I’m telling you, man, his name isn’t even registered on any public records, including schools or jobs. It’s like he never even existed.”_

“How is he not on public records when he gets suppressants from a doctor and he goes to therapy?”

 _"Uhh, he’s mated to a billionaire who probably has connections in every field?”_ Victor replied as if it were obvious. _“That makes it so easy for him to cheat the system. Everything must’ve been done under the Wayne name and not his own. That’s how this stuff works, Wally-”_

“I get it already, Vic.”

_“Hey, I’m just looking out for you. Y’know? As one of your ‘real’ friends and not someone who uses you to drive them around everywhere.”_

Wally huffed in annoyance. “He doesn’t use me, alright? Plus, he said he would pay for my gas.”

_“Sure…”_

“He just… he just doesn’t like to go places by himself.” 

_“So… he’s a child that needs watching now?”_

Wally sighed loudly. “I’m hanging up.”

_“You're the one that called me to help you.”_

“Yeah, and I’m starting to regret it. Talk to you later.” Wally quickly ended the call, watching the name Victor Stone and the words ‘call ended,’ flash on the screen.

“What’d he say?” Linda sat down on the couch with a cup of coffee nestled between her palms.

“He found a redacted missing persons’ report from fifteen years ago.” Wally handed the omega his phone.

“Haly’s circus…” Linda read. “Has he ever told you anything about this?”

“No, he only told me that his parents died. He didn’t say how or when…” Wally muttered. “He doesn’t talk much about himself- shit,” The beta rubbed a frantic hand through his hair. “I don't really know anything about this guy, Lin, but I’m worried as fuck for some reason.”

“Wanna try going to the Manor again?” Linda proposed.

“No, that’s useless… no one ever answers.” He’d been there three times already, gaining no progress.

“Then maybe he just got tired of you and wanted to stop being friends without actually telling you.” Linda laughed a bit into her coffee mug.

“That’s not it, Lin… he… fuck.” Wally flopped back against the couch. “I’m out of excuses.”

“There have been reports of Bruce Wayne being at Wayne Tower. Apparently he made a few new company policies that have gotten the public's attention.”

“Okay?”

Linda smiled, having already come up with a plan. “I’m saying that if he hasn’t been home then at least we know he’s been going to work. Maybe we could go there instead and wait for him.”

Wally averted his eyes. “Uhh… That’s the last person I want to talk to in a situation like this.”

“C’mon.” She patted his leg then stood up. “I’m tired of seeing you brood over another omega so lets go get to the bottom of this.”

.

.

.

“Sunglasses?” Wally asked once he parked the car. He watched his girlfriend pull out a pair of sunglasses from the glove box before looking at herself in the mirror. “You did one interview on GNN and now you’re acting like you’re famous?”

“Babe, who knows what Rex Calabrese is capable of doing?” She pushed the mirror closed. “He’ll probably send assassins after me because I cursed him out on live television.”

Wally shrugged and started making his way out of the car. “That’s a bit too far fetched and well, you had to do what you had to do.” 

“I didn't do anything really.” Linda closed the car door and fell into step with Wally along the sidewalk. “He hasn't made a statement about it and no ones’ really coming out about their experiences.”

“It’s one hell of a suppressor, that’s why. There's nothing else like it.” Wally responded. “Since there’s not a lot of omegas complaining about it, it must not be as widespread as you thought. So I don't think people wanna give it up that easily."

Linda sighed. “That’s true. Still, it would be nice if someone else spoke up. I don’t like Alpha’s like Rex, thinking that they have this authority over omegas, especially when it comes to making suppressors.” She concluded as they got closer to the entrance of Wayne Tower. “Should we wait inside?”

“No… outside’s fine.” Wally faltered and ended up leaning against the wall beside the entrance.

“Are you _that_ afraid of him?”

Wally shook his head, avoiding eye contact. “I’m not afraid. I’m being... cautious.” He heard Linda chuckle next to him. 

“It’s okay to be a little scared, babe. I mean, Bruce Wayne is kinda intimidating.”

“Speak of the devil,” Wally said, causing Linda to look over at the billionaire making his way out the door.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Go.” Linda lightly pushed at Wally’s arm.

“Bruce Wayne…” Wally called as he stumbled across the short distance between him and the alpha. When Bruce looked at him, Wally quickly straightened up and felt the awkward need to correct himself. “Mr. Wayne… sir….” 

“Who’s he?” Wally barely recognized the woman at first but it was Bruce's cousin, Kathy Kane. He'd seen her on TV with Bruce before, but that was a long time ago.

“He’s Dick’s... friend." The pause said a lot in terms of acknowledgment. 

The alpha regarded Wally with an adept gaze as if he were trying not to frown. _Was he still mad about that one night he answered the phone?_ From the way Bruce was staring at him, he could only guess that was the answer. _God this was worse than meeting Linda's dad._ Too bad his uncle wasn’t here to save him from this uncomfortable situation. 

"Is there something you wanted?” Bruce inquired.

“Well," Wally timidly scratched the back of his head. "I was wondering if Dick was okay? He hasn’t texted me back in a while. And I've come by your house to check up on him but no one ever answers so...”

The alpha’s gaze finally slipped into that inevitable frown and his lips formed a wearisome downturn mien. Wally didn't understand the change in his expression and he never would with Kathy suddenly jumping into the conversation.

“He went on a retreat." The omega answered shortly. "With no outside contact.” She sent a grin his way, eyes sparkling with excessive enjoyment. “When Brucie told me he was pregnant, I had to tell him about my ‘go-to’ place for Omegas to be able to completely relax. He agreed to stay there for… a while.”

“...Right.” Wally almost looked off to the side in bewilderment. _There's no way in hell, she was telling the truth_. "Thanks for the info."

“Of course. Well, it was nice meeting you, Dick's friend." She gave a small smile. "Brucie, come on.”

Bruce gave Wally a curt nod before following his cousin. Wally scoffed and walked back over to Linda.

“What’d they say?”

Wally stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets, huffing in frustration. "Some crap about Dick going on a retreat because he wanted to relax while he’s pregnant.”

“Sounds like something a rich person would do.” Linda trailed after Wally on the way back to his car.

“It sounds like a load of bullshit. Dick told me _himself_ that they decided to get an abortion but now all of a sudden he’s on some retreat?” Wally’s face screwed up in irritation. “I don’t think he would’ve just up and left without texting me back… it’s weird."

Dick was one of those people who always texted back. He texted back really fast too as if he had nothing else to do. Plus, there was the guise of Dick being away for more than two months. If that were the case, then Bruce wouldn’t look as refreshed as he was right now. Mating bonds don’t last long once they’re apart. If Wally had asked about that, they would’ve probably come up with some bullshit excuse like 'Bruce goes to visit him every week.' Who the hell has the time to do that? 

“What if he really went on a retreat?” Linda suggested.

“No, Dick doesn’t seem like the type of guy…” Wally mumbled.

In a comforting manner, Linda looped her arm through her boyfriend's. “You haven’t known him for that long, Wally.”

“Yeah, I know that but still… something’s off…” 

_Something has always been off._

Wally wasn’t a _complete_ idiot. He didn’t want to admit it but Dick _was_ suspicious. Oftentimes, Wally found himself thinking about that night Dick got wasted. The moment Dick said he wished he’d gone to high school to be an actual teenager. Wally had mistaken it for a drunken talk but that missing persons’ report Victor found only seemed to confirm it. His ‘so-called’ friend had a lot of secrets and Wally wasn’t sure if he’d ever find out what they were.

**~*2 Months Ago*~**

**______**

**Location: Unknown**

**Time: Unknown**

**Status: Prime Omega [Acquired]**

Tim quickly sat up when he heard the door open. He expected to see that Alpha named, Tiger, again but that’s not who he got. In walked two women: one who had short black hair with an unnatural myriad of scars going down the right side of her face. The other woman had similar short hair, blond, and was casually pushing in a silver encased cart. They were both omegas, comfortably wearing their collars.

“Omega 14514.” The black-haired woman announced a set of numbers Tim recognized. He’d felt them etched into the side of his collar when he’d once again been trying to take the damned thing off. He could only wonder as to why he was numbered and if that number meant he was the fourteenth thousandth omega to be here. _He hoped that wasn’t the case._

“I’m Angelica, Omega 2285.” The black-haired woman said before gesturing to her partner. “This is Tara. Omega 1456.”

Tim’s eyes flickered to Tara grabbing something from one of the cart shelves and holding up a set of wrist and ankle straps.

“We’ve been sent here by our Alpha to start your blood test,” Angelica said.

“What… what blood test?” At the sight of Angelica pulling out the remote to his shock collar, Tim moved back until his back hit the headboard.

“Your blood is very valuable to our Alpha’s cause,” Tara answered.

“Wha- what the hell are you talking about?” Tim focused on Tara handing Angelica a set of wrist straps.

“Try and bear with us, Omega 14514,” Angelica said before casually pressing the shock button on the remote, knocking Tim back on the bed. “If you cooperate with us, this will all be over quickly.”

The sudden shock had Tim struggling to regain control of his limbs, his eyesight growing fuzzy as he tried to monitor the two omegas. Angelica quickly moved around the cart with the straps in hand while Tara did the same. Tim felt cold fingers touch his ankles and wrist at the same time, but the shock didn’t let up enough so he could fight back. He felt himself whimper, feeling his arms being strapped against his sides while his legs were pulled towards the bars at the foot of the bed.

“I should warn you that we’re not professionals by any means,” Angelica said, seeming to hover over his face. In a mocking manner, she lifted up the remote and turned off the shock, leaving Tim breathless. “We’re just regular hunters but we’ve been ordered to do this.”

“Our Alpha has been gracious enough to give us such a worthy job to help further his wonderful cause,” Tara spoke and pushed the cart closer to the bed. “Hopefully, you won’t be a failure for us.”

“That’s exactly what I was going to say, Tara.” In blinking away his blurry vision, Tim could now see Angelica's face close up. Her scars were similar to a pair of animal claws having sliced one side of her face.

“Sorry about that, Angie, I always seem to take the words right out of your mouth.” Tara steadily messed around with the items on the cart, pointedly holding six pairs of long clear infusion tubes in her hand.

“That’s one of the reasons why we work so well together.” Angelica helped the other omega, bringing light to several long needles and a tray of vials.

“Fuck!” Tim shouted once he was able to control his body and began to fight against the restraints. “What the hell are you guys trying to do to me?” 

“And the struggling begins.” Tara sighed as she made quick work of connecting the tubings to the needle caps.

“Next time, we should blindfold him.” Angelica haphazardly pressed the shock button again, setting the remote on the bedside table as she continued helping Tara. 

“Nice idea, Angie- Wait, don’t leave it on the shock setting for that long. He could die.”

“You’re right.” Tim was relieved of the electric discharge seconds after his head began to throb with an oncoming headache. “You hear that, Omega 14514? If you don’t sit still and let us work, we’ll have to keep shocking you.”

“You do the other arm, Angie. We need to fill up about forty vials today.” Tara swiftly handed her a few tubes before touching Tim’s right arm.

“That’s a bit much...” Angelica made her way over to the other side of the bed and started handling his arm, clumsily thumbing the inner portion of his elbow. “And I thought Cassandra’s veins were thin. I can’t even feel any of his.”

“Just poke around for a bit and eventually, you’ll find what you’re looking for,” Tara answered as she made work of her own logic.

At first, Tim couldn’t even feel he’d been stuck with a needle, for he was still taken aback by the amount of shock he’d endured. He was groggy, confused, and barely even there for the most part. He soon found himself opening his eyes with no knowledge as to what was going on. All he saw were flashes of white and an indescribable pain in his head that bore no comprehension as to what previously transpired. It was the first time his mind had ever blanked to the point of having no recollection. 

_What was happening?_

_Who were these people?_

_Why was he in so much pain?_

_Where was he?_

**~*Present Time*~**

  
_“He fainted again.”_

_“This is the fifth time this week. Maybe we’re taking too much blood?”_

_“But we need more. Let's fill a few more vials.”_

_“We need to get paid more for doing this.”_

_“I get what you mean. We’re not even doctors, I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing.”_

_“It sucks right? That stupid scientist left but the Alpha still wants us to do bloodwork.”_

The voices began to clear when Tim cracked open his eyes, his vision spotted and blurry. His attempts at blinking away the fogginess went unaccomplished by means of his brain trying to shut down once more. A sort of emptiness swallowed his mind. There was a conflict there that tormented the gaps of his memory. _The tubings..._ three long infusion tubes extended from his left arm and Tim recognized it but his mind had yet to catch up with reality. 

_“Fuck, one of the needles came out. We have to stick him again.”_

Tim blinked again, feeling a nudge on his inner arm that had him whimpering in light of the pain. A feeling of panic welled up in his abdomen; tension grew in his limbs as he recalled the past events. In an instant, his primal urges surfaced and he growled upon feeling his arms and legs strapped down. His muscles strained as he tried to wiggle free but his lack of strength gave him no benefits. Tim hissed, feeling the pain of his last attempts at struggling- the straps around his wrist and ankles had long since cut into his skin.

_“Be still. We’re almost done with this.”_

Tim recognized the voices. They were two omega hunters whose names he didn’t care to remember but they had been the ones who’d been torturing Tim for however long he’d been here. Their warnings didn’t do anything to placate Tim’s mood and he continued to struggle, growling and whimpering all the same.

 _“Try not to go feral again, will you? Our Alpha isn’t here to calm you down.”_ One of the hunters warned Tim.

_“Ugh, I hope he’s not with Talon again. That spoiled omega, always taking our Alpha’s attention away from us.”_

_“I know what you mean… I was so happy when he left. He should’ve stayed gone.”_

In a blink of an eye, all of Tim’s wrestling stopped when he was struck with a high voltage shock, crawling down the expanse of his body. His thoughts accelerated as a strained sound slipped past his lips, for his own body had ceased to obey him.

 _“I swear, as much as I hate that collar, it’s fun watching what it does to others.”_ One of the hunters laughed.

As the current stopped wrecking through Tim’s nerves, his head lolled to the side. From there, his sights returned to those three tubes. He stared blankly ahead, subconsciously scanning the contents flowing through one of the tubes… it was… red… _red_ … Tim felt his stomach curl at the sight. Unfortunately, his evident revulsion didn’t seem to stop the hunters from trying to find another vein. 

They returned to constantly poking and twisting, effectively tearing into random spots on his skin… it went on for five minutes… ten minutes… a fucking _lifetime_ , in Tim’s mind. They were feeling around a part of his arm that had been previously stuck and now there was an untreated bruise sitting there. Tim whimpered again, practically crying on the inside as soon as they found a place to push the needle into. That same panicky feeling filled his gut before he abruptly cried out as a sharp pain struck him.

_“Dammint, I blew another vein.”_

_“Let’s just forget about that one and stick with these two.”_

When the pain became too much, Tim surrendered to the darkness and passed out. It was regrettable that he couldn’t stay blacked out for long. It was like his body was forcing him to view the sight before him.

Blood… sitting in those dark red vials…. 

_Blood…_

_Red…_

Tim never entertained the possibility of having a phobia. He never knew he was capable of falling into such a headspace but there was no way he could deny it now. Having been stabbed repeatedly in both his arms and legs, drawing blood, draining him of all his energy… Tim couldn’t stand it anymore… At the price of being someone’s practice dummy, by now, his arms were a patchwork of red and purple bruises. Usually, after everything was over, he found himself puking into the toilet more often than not. Today would be no different.

“Tara, Angelica, are you guys done yet?”

Tim opened his eyes at the sound of Tiger’s voice. As per usual, he casually leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. Tim felt a bit relieved to see him because whenever he came by, that meant things were-

“Almost done,” Angelica replied. “We need to fill one more tube.”

Tiger walked forward, eyes finding Tim’s muddled expression. “It looks like you’ve already taken enough.”

“We’re just following the rules, Tiger,” Tara said. “Our Alpha told us to fill up twenty tubes in total. It’s annoyingly tedious, to be honest.”

“I don’t really care. As long as we get our reward, we’re good.” Angelica turned to Tiger. “You can join us, you know. Our Alpha’s no stranger to foursomes.”

“No, that’s… okay…” 

“C’mon, don’t be shy,” Angelica smirked. “We’re trained hunters but even we get a little bit of action from time to time. Our favorite just so happens to be our Alpha.” 

Tiger nodded. “Glad it’s convenient for you then.” 

“It took us years to make it into his personal circle but it still feels like we’re just as disposable as before.” Tara sighed.

“I agree… There. All done.” Angelica recklessly yanked the needle out and Tara paralleled her action, gathering their supplies. Tiger watched from afar, sight focused on Tim’s limp body.

“See ya, Tiger.” Angelica and Tara gave their partings and handed the alpha the remote to the shock collar before leaving.

Letting out a sigh, Tiger stared down at the remote, eyes once again finding Tim’s form. “Whiz kid.” He mumbled and walked closer to the bed, mind already set on releasing the omega from his restraints. “You’re really banged up, huh...”

Tim groaned, lids cracking open to see Tiger’s face even closer to his than before.

“Those crazy omegas just don’t care what they do to you anymore.” He gave a solemn laugh, viewing the large bruises on Tim's arms. “Looks like I’ll have to treat your injuries again.”   
  
  


**~* The Next Day*~**   
  


“Whiz kid.”

Tim’s arms fell to his side with a huff, looking down at Tiger closing the door behind him before folding his arms. Tim jumped down from his makeshift ladder, which was really just the bed pushed into the far corner of the room with a desk chair on top of it. Tim figured long ago that there were cameras in the room and decided to do some searching. The attempts were meaningless but the omega didn’t like feeling incompetent. He never had. He needed to be productive to keep himself even-tempered. 

To do this, Tim had to test the limits of his shock collar. Every eight hours--three times a day--Tim suffered a blight of pain that came from the shock collar. Staying in the bed with the occasional attempts at getting comfortable caused little to no shock at all. Tim could sleep peacefully. Going to the restroom then taking a shower, brushing his teeth, washing his face, caused a bit more of a sting unless he did everything really slowly. It was a nuisance especially after he began searching around the room for anything to utilize. After a few weeks of finding nothing, it became pointless to even try but Tim was resilient. He was on the brink of breaking down but he wasn’t going to. That wasn’t the space his head was in right now. He was willful and needed to keep himself available for any sign of escape. He needed to be strong for Dick...

“You really don’t know how to stay still, do you?” Tiger said, a small smirk plastered on his face.

“I told you to stop it with the nicknames.” Tim said tiredly, “Need more of my... blood already?” 

Tim could only guess what they needed it for. He’s made his assumptions as to why. The only plausible reason being it was for some sort of drug, given that they’ve already finished a drug that would take away one's dynamic. If they were already finished with that then what else was there to do? Unfortunately, he’d never find out because no one told him anything. He didn’t even know what day it was but he knew for sure it was way past his birthday. What a joy it was to have aged up a number in this hell hole...

“Not this time.” Tiger held out a pair of handcuffs. “The boss wants to speak with you.” 

Like clockwork, Tiger handcuffed Tim’s wrist together and guided him past the threshold of the door. It was during this time, Tim decided to keep his mind focused on scenting the air for any sign of Dick and memorizing the path from his room to wherever they were going. As expected nothing out of the ordinary caught him by surprise. Besides a few hunters passing by here and there, everything was just as bland as it had been in his room along with the same white lights and silent corridors. 

These oddities all made sense in Tim’s mind. Over time and with previous knowledge he’d figured it out. In isolation, deprived of any sort of time device, secondary colors, and constant exposure to bright lighting, the brain can’t help but compensate for what has been deprived. Eventually, one would start to feel anxious, agitated, demented… insane. It was an experiment of psychological mind destruction and Tim was by no means immune to it. 

Some days he’d constantly be thinking about ways to escape while other days he sat there and did nothing at all. If this was the environment Dick grew up in, then being back here must’ve been detrimental for him. Tim knew Dick wasn’t going to last long here and that’s why he had to be headstrong; he had to keep planning. 

In a way, Tim felt responsible. He could never forgive himself; he could never take back all of the things he’s said to Dick. He denied the other omega any sense of pity and after being here for this long- god, he wanted to tell Dick he was sorry for being such an asshole. 

“Tiger, can you tell me how Dick is doing?” Tim asked, already knowing he wasn’t going to get an answer.

Tiger silently steered Tim to the right down another long hallway. “Try not to be difficult today, okay?” He requested quietly, ignoring Tim’s question completely. “Slade’s not one to play around with."

"I'll say whatever I want. He doesn’t scare me." Tim lied. The idea of being controlled would always scare him.

Tiger sighed and spoke quietly. "I’m serious, whiz kid. You may not believe me but I don't want you getting hurt."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“I'm just trying to help.”

Tim halted, forcing Tiger to stop and face him. “Then help me get out of here.” The gravity of his desperation seemed to change Tiger’s expression but it did nothing to sway his reasoning.

"I can't do that.”

Tim’s anger flared and a scowl followed. “Then you're no better than any of these people.”

Tiger averted his eyes and returned to his prior position at guiding the omega down the hallway. “So far, I haven’t hurt anyone… killed anyone... I would say I’m ten times better than _these_ people.”

“What’s your angle then?”

“I've told you already, it’s classified. I can’t risk telling you anything.”

Tim narrowed his eyes in speculation, not sure if he should believe the alpha.

“I'm cooperating with them and I need you to do the same for your own safety."

Tim scoffed. “No matter how much you've taken a liking to me and want to keep me ‘safe,’” He mocked. “I won't ever take your sympathy or your advice to heart.”

“I think you should. You don’t know who you’re up against here, whiz kid. Talk back to him like you do to me and you’ll suffer the consequences.” They stopped in front of a door and Tiger punched in a code. Tim quickly skimmed the numbers #5489 and began to wonder if Tiger was an idiot for giving him a clear view or was it on purpose? Or maybe, Tim was overthinking. In the end, having one code wouldn’t matter because it was likely that all the other doors had different codes.

On the other hand, having that code memorized wasn’t such a bad idea because the other side of the door extended into a large room that was filled with more colors than Tim had seen in a while. The room was packed with high-end processors and top-of-the-line motherboards. The processors made rhythmic humming noises that weren’t loud enough to block out the soft click on the door being shut.

All that were present turned their way, one, Tim assumed was Rose, then Joey, then… Tim's heart beat against his chest like it was trying to escape. He gulped, stepping back a fraction when his sights landed on Slade. The first thing Tim noticed was the alpha’s scent. It had lessened since the last time he saw him. Not so much as lessened but rather, had changed entirely. It was no longer that of Prime Alpha’s scent.

_Strange._

Tim had to tell himself to focus because in the long run, having access to this room could be used to his advantage. Swiftly flicking his glance away from the alpha, Tim peered around the room at a few monitors. The text and images were too far away to make sense of anything but the largest screen gleaming brightly directly behind Slade’s head, stopped Tim in his tracks. _Surveillance screens_. Tim squinted, trying to discern the whereabouts of his older brother but he couldn’t find him. 

Before long, Slade stood up, blocking Tim’s restless search. “I heard you were smart.” The alpha announced, eyes zeroed in on Tim like he was worthy prey. “How about in science?” He ended with a question that Tim had no reason to answer.

“Where’s Dick?” Tim felt bold enough to ask and in return, he received a small chuckle.

“Let's try to stay on topic, shall we, little omega.” 

Tim’s eye twitched at the supposed nickname. It sounded more like an insult if he were being honest.

“What do you know about Dynamic biology?” Slade persisted once more.

Tim knew a lot about Dynamic biology, _of course, he did_. Alongside his hopes of presenting, he looked into other dynamics and his own defect for years- almost like an obsession. No one else knew about it, besides Jason that is. 

“Specifically, Prime bloodlines?” Slade added after a while. Apart from not knowing Prime bloodlines still existed, Tim did a little research about them; still, he wasn’t about to admit any of that to this one-eyed piece of shit.

“Where’s Dick?” Tim said again.

“Ah…” Slade’s smirk fell a bit as he sat back down and assessed the omega in front of him.

 _“I told you to stop being difficult,”_ Tiger whispered with a sigh.

Tim shrugged, watching as Slade pulled something out of his front pocket. It was a remote, similar to the one Tiger used for his collar. “Look here…” Slade paused, pointing to the biggest button on the small device. “This is the highest setting for a collar such as yours. I’ve used it more than I can count to sort of…” His smirk returned. “Test its limits. Would you like to see what it does?”

Tim clenched his jaw, his body shivering a bit at the thought of being shocked again. 

“Or,” Slade continued. “You can listen to my proposition; you can help us. If so, then I will put this away.”

“I… I’m not going to help you.” He said, hearing Tiger whisper a little _‘don’t’_ from behind him. Tim knew he was risking his own sanity by doing this but… “Just get it over with. Do whatever you want to me.”

Slade maintained a smile. “Is that so...” He beckoned Rose to come over and whispered something in her ear. In the short time it took her to leave the room, Slade stood up, putting his hands behind his back as he spoke. “This confidence will get you nowhere, little omega.”

“It’s obvious you won’t hurt me.” Tim countered. “You need me and my blood for whatever reason.”

“You’re right, I won’t hurt you. You’re too valuable.”

The sound of the door reopening, brought everyone's attention to Rose, bringing in with her a little girl. Tim’s brain stuttered for a moment, his senses filling with a unique quality of pheromones. Prime pheromones like his own. It had an immediate effect on his instincts. Unlike everyone else in the room, he was attuned to her pheromones the most. Her smell was different from Slade’s previous one. They were more prominent; more real. _This_ was a true Prime Alpha.

“Seems like we have to demonstrate this on you again, Cassandra.”

Tim’s gaze left the little girl, seeing Slade grab a small collar from the table beside him. At the sight of the collar, the girl made an urgent attempt to yank herself away from Rose’s hold. Her pheromones spread wildly out of anguish, affecting Tim in ways he couldn’t comprehend.

“Wait...” Tim yelled, body shivering with an instinctive need to comfort the young alpha. “Stop!” 

“If my memory serves me well, I thought you wanted me to demonstrate the highest setting?” Slade chuckled and walked toward the girl. “Don’t worry, she’s experienced it plenty of times before. She’ll be alright.”

The little girl started crying, letting out soft sounds and Tim moved forward only to be held back by Tiger.

“Be still.” Rose hissed, holding the girl steady as her father unlocked the collar.

Fear curled through Tim’s spine as he watched the scene before him. The little girl was reacting just as Slade said- _she’s experienced this before._ There was no doubt about it, he was _really_ going to do it. Out of desperation, Tim shouted, “Okay, stop! Don’t! Don’t... just...” He took a short breath filled with relief when Slade stopped in his tracks.

“Are we up for negotiations now?”

“Just…” Tim hung his head low with a turmoil of uselessness rolling through him. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”

“Mm.” Slade moved away from Rose. “Now that you’re finally cooperating, I guess we should get down to business.” He placed the collar down on the table and motioned for Rose to leave the room with Cassandra.

“You see,” Slade began, bringing Tim’s attention toward him. “We let go of our best scientist. Their public reputation was causing a little bit of a problem so we cut them off before anything got too close to call.”

 _Public reputation?_ Tim thought rationally once he calmed down. 

“Follow me.”

Tiger directed Tim along Slade’s path. They walked out of the room, going down an opposite hallway from where his room was. He instantly put his senses on alert, trying to feel out the area for any sign of Dick. It was a good thing no one knew about their pack mark, if they did, they’d probably be forced to break it. 

Pack bonds were different from mating bonds. Pack bonds were stronger when it came to distance. They were meant to survive at longer distances. Mating bonds were essentially weak. The mates needed to be near one another for the bond to survive. The thing was, pack bonds couldn't sense emotions at the distance that mating bonds could. Nonetheless, if Tim could sense anything from any of these rooms they passed, it would give him peace of mind. Then hopefully, Dick would know he was here as well. It would be so much easier to just release his pheromones, too bad this collar was blocking them.

In a frantic search for Dick, Tim looked at the doors on each side of the hallway, his senses finding nothing to pinpoint the other omega’s location. Straight ahead, at the end of the hall, he could see a half paced-stairwell, with one side leading up and the other side leading down. _How big was this place?_ The last time he felt the other omega’s emotions, he was in such immense pain. He must have been on this floor somewhere but now he wasn’t. Dick could be anywhere. 

They eventually stopped in front of a large doorway situated at the end of the hall beside the stairwell. Then they entered a room that was set up like a lab of sorts. A set of glass beakers, microscopes, computers, and empty vials were scattered across various tables. It wasn’t by any means neat but Tim could already tell where this was leading to. 

“As you may have seen,'' Slade began, going to the far end of the room where a stainless steel storage cabinet sat. “With my daughter, she is, in principle, no longer an omega.” He opened it, displaying racks and racks of vials that were filled with some type of blue liquid in them. “She was the first one to have been blessed with becoming defective… This will take away your dynamic.” Slade said as he turned around, presenting the vial to Tim who wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

The omega was a little perturbed by the prospect but at the end of the day, he couldn’t help but be interested in how it was done. He couldn’t take his eyes away from the vial. The light bounced off its strange blue contents, all the more so when Slade held it right in front of his face.

“The dynamic-less drug,” Slade called it. “A few of my other hunters have already been exposed to it and they’ve made use of it in their personal lives.”

“So it’s like Grant said,” Tim thought back to the interrogation. “It’s already on the market.”

“It’s exactly as he said.”

“Grant also said that the drug makes you numb to emotions. Your daughter didn’t seem that way.”

“You’re very observant…” Slade huffed a deep laugh, almost as if he were going to enjoy this explanation. “The drug doesn’t take away emotions. It takes away your instinctual influence, heats, ruts, anything that leads us astray.” 

Tim glanced around the room, finding this entire thing exhausting. “Well, looks like you have everything working in your favor. So what the hell do you need from me?” He questioned, watching the alpha pull something out of his back pocket.

“This one,” Slade held up another vial filled with bright green liquid. “Is the one I used on you when we first met. I’m sure you can guess what it does.”

In a flash, the image of that little girl popped into his head… _Slade was… he was using that little girl to…_

“For centuries people have been trying to make something like this. To alter dynamics into whatever they want.” Slade stared at the vial in awe. “There have been various experiments done on this subject but they’ve always failed and their attempts were covered up by the higher authority; governments… The reason being, there simply can’t be too much of one Dynamic in the world, can there? Society needs to have second genders ranked into certain classes merely for the means of control. The Prime bloodlines were forcibly run out for that exact reason.”

“So you want control? Is that it?” Tim inquired.

“It’s so much more than that, little omega.” 

At that moment, Tim’s thoughts strayed to Dick. He couldn’t help but think the other omega was somehow apart of this master plan of his. 

“It works temporarily- only five hours.” The alpha sighed, giving Tim a critical stare. “What I need from you is to make it so that it’s permanent.”

“I’m…” Tim gulped at the thought of having to do anything, experiment wise, to himself or that little girl. “I’m not sure if I can do that.” As far as science went, Tim understood plenty of concepts but he wasn't able to practice them as much as he wanted to. He wasn’t professional but he wasn’t a beginner either.

“If not, I’ll simply find someone else who can and you’ll go right back into your room,” The alpha reasoned easily. “But if you can make progress with the drug, I will be gracious enough to let you see Talon.”

Tim’s eyes widened at the idea and he looked at Slade in the eyes, trying to find the lie. Ultimately, he couldn’t see anything. The alpha’s expression was expertly calculated, not revealing much to an outside observer.

“Do we have a deal, little omega?”

Tim looked down, his thoughts running a mile a minute with hesitation. “I can try…”

“Excellent. I expect good results from you. All the information you need is in this lab. Tiger, you will watch him.”

“Got it, boss.” 

“Wait.” Tim stopped the alpha and he raised a brow. “I need you to tell me what the date is.”

“I believe I don’t need to tell you anything.”

“Four months after June 16, my next heat will come. I’m sure you don’t want me taking a break from my work, so I’ll need suppressants.” Suddenly, Tim felt very exposed with the way Slade was looking at him. 

“A true Prime Omega in heat, I’ve never seen it before.”

Tim clenched his fist and shifted uncomfortably, moving closer to Tiger.

“Boss," Tiger instantly stepped in. “If anything, he’ll go feral like he has before except it will be ten times worse. We can’t risk his scent dominating all the alpha’s here and sending us into a frenzy.”

“Mm,” Slade rubbed his chin, eyes never leaving Tim. “Very well. I’ll get you your suppressants.” The alpha turned to leave, prompting Tim to let out a breath he was holding in. “In the meantime, don’t disappoint me.” Was the last thing Slade said before the door closed behind him.

Tim slumped forward, letting Tiger support his weight.

“Woah, Woah, whiz kid.” Tiger helped the omega stand up, leading him to sit down in the closest chair. “You alright?”

“His presence makes me physically sick…” That, and he was still tired from losing a lot of blood. 

“Is it that bad?”

Tim glared at the alpha. “You should know. You’re no different.”

Tiger huffed a laugh, as he always did to Tim’s accusations. “I swear to you I mean no harm.”

“You’re complicit in it. You let those omegas torture me.” Tim snapped back and began straining against the handcuffs.

Tiger sighed. “What is it gonna take for you to trust me?”

Tim glimpsed at the alpha with freezing contempt. “...You can do one simple thing for me. Find a way for me to see Dick and to contact my dad, then we can talk.”


	35. Longing For Rescue

The first time Slade came to see Dick was a couple of weeks (presumably) after his bond broke. As was customary, Rose would come in and deliver his food while also placing a new set of oversized clothing on the desk. She’d been the first to see Dick’s listless state after the pain had finally subsided. The events that followed were unexpected as much as they were predictable. Slade was on a mission somewhere therefore, thankfully, Dick wouldn’t have to meet him right away but eventually, he knew he would have to face Slade sooner or later.

Dick wasn’t scared of Slade, not like he used to be when he was a kid. He wasn't afraid but he was wary. Slade now had control over him once again and there was no telling what he’d do this time around. His promise to break Dick rang through his head as he waited for Slade to return and when he did, he wasn’t ready. 

Slade’s usual confident self stood in front of the closing door, his eyes viewing Dick’s vulnerable state. 

“Four days earlier…” Slade began, causing Dick to involuntarily twitch at the sound of his voice. He thought the first thing that would come out of Slade’s mouth would be an order but fortunately, it wasn’t.

“While I was gone, I received word of your bond breaking but the dates struck me as odd.” The alpha took a step closer, his gaze never leaving Dick’s own. “Your bond broke four days earlier than it should’ve.” Slade’s lips quirked in a manner that Dick knew to be amusement. “The odds of that happening is… never. Unless the creator of that bond decided to reject you.”

Dick wanted to look away in uncertainty but he didn’t dare avert his eyes. Although the insinuation was disheartening, he wouldn’t shift his sight. If Slade was going to start ordering him again, he wanted to stare into his eyes while it happened.

“Did the billionaire reject you, Talon?”

Dick couldn’t answer… he didn’t know if Bruce did or not. It felt like he did, but Dick didn’t want to believe it.

_“Stand up.”_

Dick moved on the sudden order, letting the blanket fall away as he slid out of the bed. He was wearing the clothes Rose had given him, similar to the white clothes Cassandra was wearing except they were way baggier. Hence why when his socks hit the ground, the hem of his pants pooled around his feet. 

_“Hold still; completely still,”_ Slade ordered in a low voice.

Dick stood completely still, unblinkingly gazing at Slade.

The alpha inched closer, stopping in front of Dick, languidly peering at him and eventually tipping his chin upward. Animosity welled up inside Dick’s chest when Slade touched him, slowly dragging a thumb down his chin before he abruptly yanked the omega’s head to the side. The alpha hummed at the sight after baring Dick’s neck, showing off his bond mark. A hint of familiarity came over Dick as he remembered all the times Slade touched him with such gentleness. Nothing inappropriate but the little touches he’d received always followed with words of praise. Dick held his breath, trying to hold himself together as he pushed away those thoughts. He didn’t need praises from Slade… no matter how good they made him feel. 

Dick’s breath hitched as Slade touched his mating bite that was now crossed out with a deep gash. His rough fingers soon found themselves back to holding Dick’s chin, tilting his head to just the right angle so Slade could scent him. A huff of hot air stroked Dick’s skin and despite his stomach churning in disgust, he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

“As expected, you don’t smell the same even though your bond is broken now.” Slade pulled away, his beard trailing the soft of Dick’s cheek until he was able to gleam into the omega’s eyes. “Tainted.” 

Dick wanted to reply and say that he wasn’t but in the back of his head, he couldn’t help but agree. Not by means of Slade’s definition but instead by what Bruce would think of him. 

Dick’s eyes widened at the sudden feeling of cool air drifting under his shirt. He gasped as Slade’s large hand caressed the curve of his belly.

“Don’t tou-”

 _“Hush,”_ Slade growled. _“Be quiet.”_

Dick whimpered, going silent at the will of the alpha.

“Remember when I told you that you were to remain a virgin? The oath you took, to remain celibate... It was under your assumption that it was given to every omega apart of the clan… but that wasn’t the case.” A smile dangled on the corner of Slade's lips. “It was only you, I kept that way. You were to remain perfect, innocent, and untouched.”

All of a sudden, a hand closed around Dick’s throat, taking away his last huff of breath.

“Six months away from me shouldn’t have changed you that much and yet, you gave yourself away… you got yourself pregnant.”

Dick was panicking at the control Slade had around his neck. He struggled to breathe, gasping, trying to get some air.

“Have you forgotten that I’m the one who's given you every single scar you have? This should have told you that your body has always been mine by default.” Slade’s expression gleamed with anger. “At first, I wanted to kill you for your betrayal. You know how I find joy in punishing those that do. But why should I waste something that’s already been broken by my own hands--”

“Father.” 

Slade’s grip slacked at the sound of Joey’s voice and Dick took this chance to breathe in all the air he could obtain.

“We need to leave. We have to be at the rendezvous point in 72 hours.”

Slade steadily peered into Dick’s eye, his expression showing nothing but displeasure.

 _“Release.”_ The alpha said, relieving Dick from all the orders he placed on him.

Dick immediately fell to his knees, coughing loudly, his eyes blurrily focused on Slade leaving the room without another word. By a slow, agonizing rate, his coughs slowly mellowed out, leaving him in a state of soft panting. He looked at the door again, wondering if Slade was going to come back in. Dick figured that Slade would want to keep an eye on him and make him do something beyond his control but he didn’t leave Dick with anything. And the omega had never been more thankful for that. Still, he shouldn’t get his hopes up. Once Slade returned from the mission he was on, Dick was sure the alpha would come for him again.

~*~

The next time Cassandra came in, Dick hadn’t expected it. He thought Rose would have left with Slade and Joey but it would seem that she wasn’t invited to go along with them. This might have been the cause of her increased irritancy, for she couldn’t switch ‘babysitting’ shifts with her little brother anymore. For this reason, Cassandra stayed with Dick for longer than usual before she was forced to leave by dinner time.

Cassandra had a coloring book with her this time and Dick was a little glad for it. He’d been using it as a catalyst to practice managing his depth perception. Right now, it wasn’t doing much but Dick imagined in the long run, this could be one of the many aids to helping him focus normally again. They settled in their usual places and Dick had to keep rolling up his sleeves when they began coloring. The clothes he’d been given were extra baggy, most likely to accommodate for his pregnancy but even this was too much.

Dick soon caught himself looking at the state of Cassandra’s hair. Today, to his shock, it wasn’t in a tangled mess; instead, it was put into a neat bun at the top of her head. Dick had no reason to believe that Rose did it, for she was never one to take time out of her day to do minuscule tasks. _Could another hunter have done it?_

Dick leaned forward, getting a closer look at its perfect shape. “Cass, who did your hair?” 

At the mention of her hair, Cassandra dropped her crayon and frantically took down the bun, letting her long hair fall past her shoulders.

“Wait, I didn't mean take it down.” In Dick’s attempt to reach out and straighten it, Cassandra maneuvered a very tiny piece of paper out from the strings of her hair. With wide eyes, Dick stared at it in wonder as the young alpha pushed it into his hands.

“What’s this?” Dick took the piece of paper, letting his fingers push open the flap. He instantly squinted his eyes, after finding a paragraph full of incredibly small handwriting. _Fuck, he couldn’t read this… he would try at least..._

[To Dick]: _It’s Tim._

Dick’s heart almost stopped after he read the first line, opting to bring the paper closer to his face as he sought to read every word he could make out.

 ~~ _Aka: your_~~ _favorite person._ _~~Aka: if you ever~~ __mention anything_ _ ~~about my~~ __feelings towards a ‘certain’ someone,_ ~~_I’ll kill you._ ~~_~~I~~ added those ~~just~~_ _ ~~in case~~ you didn’t __believe it was me. I’ve been captured ~~too~~_ _ ~~but don’t~~ worry about me, _ _I’m completely fine. Right now,_ ~~_I’m trying to find a way to_~~ _contact Bruce. Don’t tell anyone_ ~~ _you know I’m here._~~ _I’ll keep you updated._

 _What the fuck was Tim doing here!?_ The last time he saw Bruce, Dick only went with Rose in order to keep his little brothers safe, and yet Tim was… “Oh, fucking hel-” Dick clapped a hand over his mouth and looked down at Cassandra. “Don’t ever say that word.” Cassandra cocked her head in confusion before releasing a calming scent. It was then that the omega noticed he was letting out distressing pheromones.

“I’m okay, Cass,” Dick said softly, forcing himself to calm down before asking. “Did you meet Tim today?”

Cassandra nodded.

“Is he okay? Is he hurt?”

This time Cassandra didn’t respond and Dick’s distress resurfaced. Thinking swiftly, Dick grabbed a crayon from the desk and flipped the paper over onto the side that had been left empty. The piece of paper was too small and the crayon tip was too wide. He couldn’t write as much as Tim could but he should at least be able to write the most important questions…  
_

Hearing the door open caused Tim to turn around. He watched Rose haphazardly take away Cassandra’s coloring book before lightly pushing her inside. Then she left without a word, as she had been doing since Tim started working in the lab. Tim stood up from the chair and made his way over to the young alpha, his gaze immediately landing on her hair.

“Of course he can’t even make a proper bun.” Tim lightly taunted his older brother, while looking down at Cassandra’s messy attempt at a hair bun. “Did he reply?” Tim asked, watching the young alpha nod. 

“Wow, it actually worked,” Tiger said from his seat next to the door.

“Of course it did.” Tim casually said as he gently undid her hair, finding a crumpled piece of paper. “I came up with the plan after all.”

~*2 Weeks Ago*~

_“I’m a mercenary spy that was hired by what I’d call, classified clientele.”_

_Tim’s focus, which was once transfixed on the lens of the microscope, was soon preoccupied by Tiger’s admittance. He looked at the alpha, who’d lost his casual smirk and now wore a hardened facial expression._

_“You’ve been heckling me about helping you contact your dad and all that, but I can’t help you. It’s taken me years to work my way up to this point and I can’t risk doing anything that will jeopardize this job.”_

_“I see.” Tim scooched to the edge of his chair and looked back into the lens, eyes narrowing at the contents moving on the glass plate. Tiger claimed some time ago that there were cameras everywhere with hunters watching them 24/7. That, added to his job as a spy, made it all the more difficult to get him on Tim’s side._

_“So you’re not allowed to go into Dick’s room?”_

_“I don’t know how many times I have to keep telling you.” Tiger proceeded with the same explanation he’d been telling Tim since he started working in the lab. “Only the Wilson’s have access to that room.”_

_Tim sighed and glanced over at the calendar on the wall he’d been given begrudgingly. He claimed he needed it to mark the progress of his experiments but really it was just a way to keep the time. It was now Friday, September 1st._

_“You say you're a spy but it seems like you haven't fully infiltrated yet. You don’t have a DS tattoo so how exactly did you get him to trust you?”_

_“Slade planned on getting rid of that entire thing for some years now. Not all of the hunters have one, especially the newer ones.” Slade stated but Tim only looked at him with skepticism. “You still don’t believe me?”_

_“Pfft, as if. You’re too comfortable here.”_

_“Infiltration spies learn how to alter our personalities at a young age.”_

_“So, right now, I’m not even talking to the real you?”_

_Tiger shrugged, that smirk returning and Tim had half a mind to think this haughty demeanor he presented was fake after all. “All you need to know is that mercenary spies work for money… we’re not loyal to anyone.”_

_“But you would do anything Slade asked you too.” Tim deadpanned the obvious._

_“That’s because I have to but I still stand by my morals.”_

_Tim scoffed a laugh. “You actually have morals?”_

_“Yes. To not kill any innocent bystanders such as yourself. Only those my clients want me to.”_

_“Your clients must have given up on you by now, seeing as you’ve been here for years and have made no progress.”_

_“My progress is higher than the others have been.”_

_“Others?” Tim inquired. "There were other spies sent before you?"_

_Tiger kept quiet and it had Tim assessing the full extent of the alpha’s explanation. He was loyal to his clients and it was only because he was getting paid. His morals were commendable but he still wasn't on Tim’s side. “How much is your client paying you?”_

_“5 million.”_

_“Bruce can pay you double that amount.” Tim quickly countered._

_Tiger chuckled. “I’m sure he could but I can’t abandon my original job.”_

_“I’m not saying you should abandon it, I’m saying you can add to it.” Tim offered._

_“I’m sorry whiz kid, I can’t risk that.”_

_“Fine," Tim sighed. "I’ll come up with a plan on my own.”_

_Tim did some thinking and it wasn’t until Rose brought in Cassandra for the first time that he figured it out. She mentioned to Tiger about how glad she was at Dick being here so she wouldn’t have to watch Cassandra longer than she needed to. He assumed Rose dropped her off at the lab for Tim to do blood work on her but that wasn’t going to happen. Tim had stayed away from the blood vials in the steel storage cabinet since he’d been given the job. He wouldn’t be looking at them any time soon. He couldn’t, even if he tried. In the meantime, he made use of looking at the completed drug vials themselves and studied them instead._

_It took time to earn Cassandra’s trust because at first, she was extremely wary of him. Tim on the other hand was instinctively drawn to her scent. Perhaps if he wasn’t wearing the scent blocking collar, she’d be drawn to his scent too but that wasn't the case. Quite frankly, she was probably scared that Tim was going to draw her blood. It took a week and a half of him proving to her that he wasn't going to do anything, for her to finally come around. It was also after Tim undid his bandages and had Tiger replace them when Cassandra noticed his arms were in the same condition as hers. She seemed to understand his position. They were both prisoners._

_The first idea that came to mind was to have Cassandra tell Dick he was here but then he found out that she didn’t talk. Tim tried to use sign language but Cassandra didn’t know that either nor did Dick. No amount of Cassandra nodding and shaking her head would help him communicate with Dick so he had to think of an alternative._

_It took him a couple of days to figure it out while he was writing down the results of his lab testing. It was there when he listlessly stared at the paper, feeling the pen between his fingers before he found a solution. How did he not think of this beforehand? He’d never been so slow to the uptake in his entire life. He could write to Dick._

_The only setback was that Cassandra only came in once a day and that her clothes didn’t have any pockets. There was no way she could just hold the piece of paper in her hand without the risk of accidentally dropping it and someone seeing it. In the end, Tim used Cassandra’s hair as an alternative._

~*Present Time*~

Tim unfolded the paper and flipped to the side he didn’t write on, his eyes scanning over Dick’s efforts at writing small. He’d seen Dick’s handwriting before but it’s never been thismessy.

[To Tim]: _Y r u here!? Where r u? R u ok!? 1 i, write big._

“Huh?” Tim read over the note once more, focusing on the last line in particular. “One I?” _What the hell was he talking about?_

Cassandra tugged on his sleeve, getting Tim’s attention. “What is it?”

She pointed to her right eye then cupped it with her hand. 

“One I…” Tim murmured, watching with narrowed eyes as Cassandra repeated the gesture. “One… _eye!_ ” He shouted in disbelief. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me… he has one eye!?” 

A little startled by Tim’s outburst, Cassandra took a step back before nodding.

“It’s true…” Tiger spoke up. “I saw it happen myself. Apparently, it’s the mark of betrayal.”

“What the actual hell.” Tim dragged a palm down his face, making his way back over to his workspace. “I know you don’t speak,” He stopped to address the young alpha. “But don’t ever say those words I just said, not even in your head.” He threatened lightly and Cassandra nodded despite her confusion.

“So... Dick?” Tiger said, walking to stand behind Tim’s chair. “I admit, I’m kind of jealous of this little family protection thing you guys have going on.”

“You don’t have a family?” Tim sat down and began tearing off another piece of paper (a lot bigger this time). 

“I have one... but they’re all dead.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Tim answered as he began writing.

“I can't help but think your dad won't come for him." Tiger changed the subject. "I don’t know if I would in a situation like this…”

“What do you mean?” 

“Didn’t that guy kill your dad’s old lover or something like that?”

Tim abruptly looked over his shoulder. “What’d… you just say?”

“That’s right,” Tiger nodded. “I forgot you haven’t seen the video yet.”

“Show me,” Tim demanded.

“Sorry,” Tiger shrugged. “I don’t have it on me right now. But let's just say you did see it. Do you think your dad’s still coming to get him?”

Tim scoffed and went back to writing. “There’s no way Bruce would leave Dick here.”

“Only because he’s pregnant.” Tiger pointed out. “I can’t even imagine what I’d do in that situation.”

“Dick was being controlled.” Tim yawned, quickly dismissing the matter. 

“I understand that but it’s still a lot to deal with," Tiger said as if he were trying to convince Tim of something. "There were other videos too, you know… not something I would want to see twice.” 

“You Alphas really think you get to have an opinion in this?” Tim once again faced Tiger with his brows knitted in a frown. “I haven’t been an omega for long, but I’ve been under an alpha order and I’m pretty sure it’s what you know it is to be. It’s what you guys are born with and if you so please, you can use it to your advantage. But even without an alpha order, look at this place he’s in; look at where he grew up. Dick was ten years old when he was kidnapped and brought here. Imagine having some one-eyed pervert looking after your every move and making you do things you never wanted to do. To be raised by a psychopath assassin of all things, of course Dick would be made to do some horrible shit.”

Tim decided, in the three months that he’s been here, he wouldn’t ever blame Dick. This new information about the video did surprise him but it wouldn't change his outlook. And he was positive Bruce wouldn’t abandon Dick, of course, he wouldn’t. 

“My condolences go to anyone who's suffered at the hands of Slade’s puppet maneuvering tactics,” Tim said after a while, figuring that he’d offer at least a bit of remorse to those who died by Dick's hands but at the end of the day, it was Slade's orders that caused all of this destruction.

_

[To Dick]: _One eye!? You better not be lying to me. That bastard! Please tell me the baby’s alright? It’s Sept. 19 btw. We’ve been here for 3 months. I’m being watched by Tiger (that guy I kicked at the promenade). I’m in a lab, being forced to work on a dynamic changing drug. They needed Prime blood to make it. And don’t worry about me, I’m fine._

Prime blood? Dick looked down at Cassandra, who’d taken to pressing her ear onto his stomach. Was that what those bruises were on her arms and legs? They’d been using her to…

[To Tim]: _"_ _The baby’s fine. Can you keep me up to date in every note? And please tell me you’re not still running tests on Cassandra. Is that Tiger guy hurting you?"_

[To Dick]: “ _Sept. 20. No, I’m not hurting Cassandra. No, Tiger’s not hurting me. He’s actually confusing me. He acts like I’m supposed to trust him. Not to mention that he thinks you’re hot just like the other 99% of the population does. Hell, you’ll probably look even better with an eye-patch, like some sexy ass pirate or some shit. Basically what I’m saying is, don’t worry about your looks if you’re even worried about them at all. I’m still rooting for you to become a model btw so please keep that option open for the future.”_

For the first time in three months, Dick actually let out a real laugh. Of course, it would be Tim to break him out of his depressive state, if only for a little while.

[To Tim]: _“Thanks for making me laugh, Timmy. I really needed it. What do you mean by ‘trust’ him? Who is this guy?”_

[To Dick]: “ _Sept. 21. I’m glad I was able to. Tiger's, a spy, or something. He’s getting paid so he’s not really on anyone's side but he promises not to hurt me. From what Tiger said, Slade’s not going to be back for a while. Something about being on a multipronged hitman mission?”_

[To Tim]: “ _It’s a long job. All the affiliates must be meeting up in one area and his client wants them all dead but Slade can’t make it obvious. The kills have to be spaced out and done differently each time.”_

[To Dick]: “ _Sept. 22. Sorry to say this Dick but your handwriting is really hard to read but I got the gist of what you meant. Hopefully, that means he’ll be gone for a while. He gave me an ultimatum. If I can make progress, I get to see you.”_

[To Tim]: “ _Sorry Tim, having ‘1 i,’ makes it hard for me to focus. Slade is known for making deals. It’s much more for his benefit than yours. Even if he does let you see me, it won’t be for long.”_

[To Dick]: “ _Sept. 23. I knew it! You wrote that on purpose to confuse me. That’s it, I’m changing your contact name to ‘1 i’ as soon as we get home. And I don’t care if I only get to see you for a little while. I need to see if you’re really alright. Plus, I want you to sing happy birthday to me. I turned seventeen without even knowing.”_

[To Tim]: _“Of course I’ll sing happy birthday to you and to Jason as well. His birthday was August 16 if I remember correctly. Let’s just hope we won’t be here when my own birthday comes. It wouldn’t be something to celebrate if that happens.”_

[To Dick]: “ _Sept. 24. Don’t say that, we’ll be out of here soon.”_

[To Tim]: _“You can’t be sure of that. I know you said you were alright but I don’t believe that. For the first two months, these notes didn't exist. What happened to you then? Tell me.”_

[To Dick]: “ _Sept. 25. All you need to do is to have peace of mind and know that I'm alright. I’m COMPLETELY fine. I promise. You don’t need to worry about me. Don’t worry about anything. Bruce will come for us soon.”_

[To Tim]: “ _I can't have peace of mind knowing that I dragged all of you into this. I’m glad I met you guys but sometimes I wish I had never agreed to stay with Bruce. But at the same time, I want to go home._ Any luck contacting him yet?”

[To Dick]: “ _Sept. 26. Not yet. With Tiger watching me 24/7, it’s hard to do anything. Don’t ever say you regret meeting us and none of this was your fault. I should be honest and say that I’m really interested in how this drug works. I think I’m onto something…”_

[To Tim]: “ _You shouldn’t be forced to do this. I’m sorry. You shouldn't even be here. If you want to blame me, I would understand. This is all my fault.”_

Tim sighed as he finished reading the note. Dick had spurts of confidence then there were times when he didn’t. It’s been like that ever since Tim had known him. He didn’t know what Barbara diagnosed him with but it seemed like Tim wouldn’t be able to convince Dick of anything if he kept blaming himself. Tim sat back in his seat, gazing at his lab set up while trying to come up with a good response. His best bet was to write something funny because luckily, it wasn’t that hard to make Dick laugh.

With this in mind, Tim tore off a piece of paper and began writing. As usual, when he was finished, he called Cassandra over and right as Tim started tying up her hair for the night, the door opened and Rose walked in. Tim froze, letting the young alpha’s hair fall from his fingers. He swiftly let his arms sink to the side, digging his hand under his left thigh to hide the note there.

With her usual stoic expression, Rose wandered into the room, looking around in speculation. She then threw Tim a critical stare, placing a hand on her hip, walking until she was right in front of him.

“Where’s Tiger?”

“I don’t know, he didn’t tell me.” Tim felt Cassandra grab onto his forearm as she moved to hide behind his chair.

She quirked a single brow, “So he just left you here? By yourself?”

“Do you see him anywhere?” Tim glanced around the room. “Then I guess you just answered your own question.”

Rose scoffed, a small smile appearing on her face. “Tiger said you’re a handful but I like a guy who’s a little bold. Talon could learn a thing from you… Or maybe you could learn a little something from Talon.” Her smile fell. “At least Talon knows when not to joke around.”

Tim didn’t even have time to blink before Rose grabbed a fistful of his hair. He made a strained noise, in an attempt to pull himself away but Rose’s grip wouldn’t let up.

“I’m not my father, I don’t pull my punches. I don’t manipulate people into doing what I want, I take what I want without asking and I won’t hesitate to hurt you. As a matter of fact, you’d be dead right now if you weren’t so rare. But if we end up finding another Prime Omega, don’t expect to come out of this alive.”

Rose let go of Tim’s hair and started a slow stroll around the lab table. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you've stopped doing blood work on Cassandra either. She’s livelier than ever now.” She glared at Tim, who was rubbing the top of his head. “I want you to tell me why you stopped?”

“There are already enough blood vials in storage.” He gestured to the steel cabinet on the far side of the room. “Right now, I don't need any of her blood because I'm only testing out different formulas with the mixture I’m trying to create.”

Rose didn’t let up her stare that was full of doubt. In fact, she acted upon that doubt, went to sit down in the chair Tiger usually sat in and watched Tim for the rest of the day. Tim mentally sighed. _This was going to be a pain._

[To Dick]: _"_ _Sept. 30. It’s getting harder to send these notes now, I think Rose is catching on but don’t worry, we’ll be out of here before you know it."_

[To Tim]: _"_ _Rose has never been a trusting person. But to tell you the truth, Tim, I’m losing my mind in here. I don’t think I can take it anymore."_

[To Dick]: _"_ _Oct. 6 I have to space out the time I’m sending you these notes now. Rose is staying in the lab for longer hours. Please, don’t give up, Dick. I’m still here."_

[To Tim]: _"I can’t take it anymore. I can’t stand waiting for Bruce to get here. I need him. I need to see him now."_

The sound of the door opening pulled Tim’s focus away from the note and he once again had to divest the small piece of paper under his thighs. Tim recognized the scent before he could even see who it was. Slade stepped through the door carrying with him a look filled with expectations.

“Tiger tells me you’ve made progress,” Slade stated.

“I have.” Tim reluctantly confirmed. “Only a little bit.” Tim’s new mixture was actually an enhancer that was somewhat based on the drug that Slade already had in his possession, except his, didn’t need blood to make it. 

“Explain it to me.” Slade got right to the point and motioned for Tim to start.

And so, Tim explained. Without a doubt, it was hard to explain the basis of the enhancer he created but Slade was smarter than Tim gave him credit for. The alpha actually told Tim to bypass the basics and get into how the mixture actually works.

“For embryos or for a child, under the age of ten, taking this drug might be achievable in changing their dynamic completely.”

Slade raised a brow. “For embryos and children, you say?”

“Yes. It’s only because they have not presented yet. If we can alter their genomes before they present, then they may very well present into a true Prime Omega or Alpha.” 

“And for adults?” The alpha inquired.

“For adults, it’s a more difficult task. For permanent changes, you need to do germline editing, which is a long process, and not something this enhancer I created can accomplish.” Tim briefly paused, unsure of how Slade was going to react to what he said next. “The only other way to permanently change an adult’s dynamic would be to take it away completely... then to replace it with the genome enhancer I made.” He concluded, watching Slade nod with interest.

“Of course we have to test out your theory.” Slade declared and Tim knew this was coming. He knew Slade wouldn’t want to test it out on himself first nor was he going to have any of his hunters do it. At the possibility that it does work, Slade would be at the risk of one of his hunters betraying him once they acquire a Prime Dynamic.

“Give me what you have.”

“I-It’s not complete yet,” Tim stuttered. “And what I said was just a theory. It would be reckless to-”

“It sounded too sure to be _just_ a theory.” Slade stepped closer, his gaze darkening. “Give me what you have.”

Tim swallowed down the lump in his throat before he faced his workspace. Sights on the vial holder, he pulled out one of the five enhancers he created and lingered a bit before finally handing it to Slade. 

The alpha smirked when he held the vial. “How should it be administered? By bloodstream? Or is ingesting it fine?”

“Both are good… but wait, I was serious when I said that it wasn’t finished yet.” Tim repeated, adding to the severity of his warning. “You can’t test that out on anyone.”

“How else will we know if it works?” Slade challenged.

“I have to keep running trials with baseline DNA like saliva for example,” Tim explained, already having used Tiger’s to test it out. “Right now, the drug is still in testing.”

Unfortunately, Tim’s warnings went completely ignored as Slade carelessly slipped the vial into his pocket. “You’ve made progress with the drug so I will be keeping my side of the bargain. You are allowed to see Talon. I’ll have Tiger bring you down in a couple of hours.”

Slade left with the vial and Tim was left wondering if he’d just done something wrong. He shouldn’t have created the new mixture. He should’ve just stalled for time; until Bruce got here. But once he got started, he couldn’t stop. The entire thing about altering a dynamic was immoral and unethical, but it was brilliant all the same. And without the trial and era of the scientist who created the drugs before Tim got here, it would've taken years for Tim to find a solution. He was onto something now. Not just simply changing dynamics or getting rid of them but closer to finding a cure; a cure to the rare defect…

.

.

.

Tim was led down two flights of stairs, coming across a familiar set of bland hallways but the area seemed out of place. It was built as an imitation of a massive apartment except there weren’t any windows or any homey feeling to it. They passed by a kitchen area then turned right down a long hallway to find Rose waiting there by a tall door.

“You have five minutes.” She said as she pushed open the door and Tim was instantly met with the scent of a pregnant omega. Once Tiger removed the handcuffs, Tim couldn’t move across the room fast enough at the sight of a lump laying on the bed.

“Dick…” He called out when he reached his bedside. Tim prepared for Dick to jump up and hug him but that’s not what he got. Dick’s figure didn’t move at all. He stayed completely still, not reacting to Tim’s presence. In a panic, Tim bent to his knees and pushed Dick’s long bangs away from his eyes, exhibiting his entire face. The first thing Tim noticed was the white gauze covering his right eye, leaving only his left eye to stare into. Except, Dick wasn’t really looking at him. Dick looked like he was staring straight through Tim as if he weren’t able to recognize him.

“Dick, it’s me…” Tim moved closer, gently smoothing back more of his bangs. “It’s Tim.”

Dick didn’t move, didn’t respond, didn't react. He just stared straight ahead.

“Dick…” Tim lightly pushed at his shoulder. “Dick, what's wrong? Why isn’t he saying anything!?” He glared at Tiger.

Tiger wore a grievous expression when he answered. “He was ordered not to respond…”

Tim’s brows bumped together in a scowl. “What are you talking about?”

“He... can’t react to anything. He was ordered to not respond, react, or move.”

“What…” Tim whispered in disbelief. “How… how long has he been like this?”

“Since Slade got back one week ago.”

“But I thought he just got back today?”

Tiger shook his head. “No, he’s been back for a week now.”

 _How come Dick didn’t tell him that in their notes? Did he not want Tim to worry?_ Tim peered at Dick once more, his heart wrenching at the sight of his unnatural stillness. _Why was that monster doing this to Dick? That sick and depraved bastard doing whatever he wanted… it made Tim want to puke._

“Dick, I’m going to get us out of here, okay?” He reassured in the steadiest voice he could manage. “We’ll go home and everything will be back to normal again. You’ll get to see Bruce… and he won’t judge you for what happened to Selina. He won’t abandon you. I promise.”

Something seemed to flicker in Dick’s eyes then, a very slight movement of his pupil and it was enough for Tim to know that he was still there. Dick may have been trapped in his own head but he was still aware of everything around him. Bearing this in mind, Tim couldn’t help but think about the other omegas current state of health. _Not being able to move? Was he not able to do anything at all!?_

Out of worry, Tim pulled back the blankets, wanting to check and see if there were any injuries on his body. Tim dared to pull back the eye gauze but decided against it and let his eyes wander across Dick’s form. The scars that sat on his forearms and hands seemed to be healing nicely. Upon pulling up his shirt, Tim could see that Dick was very much pregnant. If he remembered correctly, Dick was only 6 weeks pregnant when he was admitted to the hospital on June 19, so now he should be 5 months pregnant. On the surface, everything looked fine. He also looked relatively clean, well-fed, and taken care of. It goes without saying that to be able to do anything, Dick would need to move around by himself. Hence why Tim concluded that the other omega wasn’t made to stay unresponsive for the entire day, there must have been hours where he was free to roam.

Still, Dick shouldn’t stay in a state like this at any time of the day. Tim was afraid that with Dick not being able to move how he wanted to, it would eventually restrict his entire mind to being dependent on an alpha order. In a way that he wouldn’t be able to think or choose for himself anymore. The idea was a bit contrived but Tim had a knack for thinking the worst when he was anxious. Plus, Slade was a master manipulator who, if he so pleased, could turn Dick into something like a doll…

 _God… Bruce needed to hurry up._ Tim internally prayed and went back to checking Dick for more injuries. On his trek to standing up--to move to the other side of the bed--he accidentally hit something with his elbow, knocking it off the desk in the process. The omega looked down, finding a plastic cup, rolling to a stop after hitting his foot. What followed was a tiny trickle of blue liquid that progressively lined the side of his shoe. The sight of the blue liquid was odd enough to make him pick up the cup and bring it to his nose. The smell instantly struck him as familiar… so terribly familiar that he ended up letting the cup slip from his fingers.

“What are you doing?” Tiger asked, 

Tim peered over at Dick with inept worry, pain gripping at his chest as he realized why that smell struck him as familiar.

_No, Slade couldn’t have..._

~*~

The Dark knight clan’s resilient search continued as they looked through another empty DS base. It was the eighteenth location that was hidden in the underground streets of Blüdhaven. It was there that Stephanie and her keen eyes happened upon a huge mounted enclosure hanging on the wall.

“Jean, bring over the light.”

“What did you find?” Jean shined the flashlight on that exact place, watching Stephanie yank open the enclosure with a laborious huff. The enclosure looked like a large silver electrical box on the outside, but on the inside, was a deep vertical tunnel and with the flashlight, they could see another silver enclosure at the end.

“Tether me.” Stephanie requested, allowing Jean to secure a rope around her waist.

“Are you sure you can fit in there?” Jean handed her the flashlight before helping her up off the ground.

“I’ll be fine.” Stephnie settled a knee on the base of the tunnel before starting a slow crawl.

**_“Steph, what are you up to now?”_ **

Stephanie pressed a finger into her earpiece. “Nothing yet, Jay.”

**_“Better not be doing something stupid again. We can’t risk activating another tripwire.”_ **

“I told you before that was an accident.”

**_“Clumsy much? I think you need more training.”_ **

Stephanie scoffed. “How does it feel to be twenty years old and an immature brat at the same time?”

**_“Think you can come up with a better insult?”_ **

**_“Focus,”_** Bruce spoke gruffly.

Stephnie rolled her eyes as soon as she made it to the end of the tunnel. In a similar fashion as before, she attempted to yank open the enclosure, finding it harder to do than the first one. After some quick thinking, she ended up pulling out a dagger, making an effort to pry open the latch. As soon as the enclosure popped open, a prudent smell hit her nose. 

“Ugh.” Stephanie pinched her nose before shining the flashlight down into the large opening. It led down into another dark room and unfortunately, she had to let go of her nose to slowly climb down the ladder. Her feet hit the floor with a hard thud and she used the flashlight to give her a perspective about the room. It was set up like a lab of some sort and Stephanie couldn’t say she was surprised to find a few decomposing dead bodies laid out on a couple of lab testing tables. That smell said it all. She swiftly searched through the dark room with only a small flashlight and her intuition. Eventually, she came upon a large storage cabinet and opened it, staring at all its contents with an ever-growing frown.

“Guys,” Stephanie pressed into her earpiece, getting everyone's attention. “You won’t believe what I just found...”

**_“What did you find?”_ **

“I think I just found out who DS hired as their scientist.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, to reassure everyone, since a few people seem to be on egde😔 This will be over very soon. Probably in the next chapter or the chapter after that then it will go back to fluff again. ❤❤
> 
> Sorry for the angst and torture.


	36. Taking a Turn for the Worst & the Best

Tim didn’t know how he did it. He honestly didn’t. But he did it. He convinced Slade to let him see Dick, _in full_ , and without the order of unresponsiveness placed on him. It was a risk in the beginning when he told Slade he knew exactly what he’d fed to Dick. He named all the risk of doing so; the worst being death, of course. Tim ‘claimed’ he needed to monitor the fetus’s progress because this development could be detrimental to both Dick and the baby. And he wasn’t lying but that wasn’t the reason why he was doing any of this. He simply wanted to see Dick and that was it. 

The first and last time Tim saw Dick was a week ago. He didn’t want to leave him then but he had no choice. From what Tiger told him, Dick had still been given the same orders, to remain unresponsive, for almost five hours a day, _every day_. Even before then, Dick was able to send him notes so Tim figured they could still do that but now, that entire plan had been thrown out the window. At the end of last week, Tim already had his note ready to go and hidden beneath his lab result papers the moment Cassandra came in. However, it would seem that Tim was right about Rose catching on to his little game. 

Rose followed after Cassandra, carrying with her a pair of scissors and a small smirk. She made Cassandra sit down in a chair, right in front of Tim’s, before scornfully snipping the blades open and shut. She then began to cut Cassandra’s hair, shamelessly, overtly, _brazenly,_ making a mockery out of Tim’s well thought out operation. He could see Tiger giving a remorseful look from the distance, and hear the content humming from Rose who purposely cut Cassandra’s hair into an uneven mess. By the time she was done, Cassandra’s clothes were riddled with whiskey hairs after forcibly being given a new length that stopped an inch under her earlobes.

“Thought you could trick me?”

Tim said nothing.

“You did. You tricked me.” She admitted. “If I hadn’t randomly decided to walk in when little Cassandra was taking down her hair and handing a note to Talon, I wouldn’t have found out so early on.” She pulled out the piece of paper, unabashedly, taking her time to straighten it out before reading it out loud.

“Don’t worry, Talon, I’ll get you out of here soon. Slade won’t ever hurt you again because Bruce will handle everything. You just worry about living a normal life.” She placed a hand on her chest in a mocking manner. “How sweet. Isn’t that sweet, Tiger?” She gauged him with a question to which Tiger didn’t answer.

“I almost shed a tear there.” She drew a forefinger across the space beneath her eye.

“It’s nice to see that you can actually joke around and that you’re not just one of Slade’s minions.” Tim retorted.

“I’m his daughter, not an underling.”

“Same difference.” Tim shrugged. “If you’re done playing around now, I would like to get back to my work... please.” He added.

“Don’t get too full of yourself. You _will_ suffer the consequences. Once I tell my father what you and Dick have been doing, he’ll-”

“He’ll what? Kill me?” Tim scoffed, pinning Rose with his eyes. “No. Your father needs me if you haven't noticed. But you, on the other hand, probably not so much.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re always here babysitting Cassandra, not going on any missions, joking around with me as if you have nothing else to do…” Tim knew he needed to shut up but he couldn’t. He was tired of being played for a fool. “You’re useful when you need to be but from what I can tell… you’re just as disposable as Grant was.”

Tim expected to be grabbed by the hair again, maybe even thrown to the ground but he received none of that. Instead, Rose's taunting smile slowly disappeared and her features grimaced into a frown. 

“My father... wouldn’t kill me.” Her voice trembled slightly but her stare was just as blank as it usually was.

Tim knew that if a man could send someone out to kill his own son, then that made Rose and Joey no different. The front of Joey being Slade’s favorite son may have been a guise; a guise that made others want to live up to his expectations. So the hunters worked harder to gain recognition. 

Tim found it fun trying to figure out how Slade ran things around here. He was interested in how Slade used manipulation to get what he wanted. Seeing how he spoke to people, finding out what his tactics were (from Tiger), and seeing who was allowed in his personal circle and who wasn’t. His family was there by default but everyone else needed to be useful in some way. That’s why Tim thought he had a better chance at surviving here than Rose did but he wouldn’t say that out loud... She already looked crestfallen enough.

“You don’t know anything about my family…” Rose gave the omega a frosty look; one that revealed more than Tim could decipher “You don’t get to speak on it...” 

_Looks like Tim hit a soft spot..._

“Your little note exchanging business is done.” Rose ripped up the paper, letting the pieces fall to the ground. “Tiger,” She said on her way to the door. “I don’t know how you missed this happening but I expect you not to miss it again. I’ll be informing my father about this.” Rose slammed the door behind her, leaving Tim to clean up the mess she left Cassandra in.

“You know... she’s being controlled too… just like Dick,” Tiger told Tim, his tone laden with sympathy. 

It made Tim glimpse at the alpha, attempting to understand his empathy towards Rose, that of which he fully ignored when he questioned Bruce's integrity to save Dick. Perhaps he learned a thing or two after hearing Tim’s speech but Tim wasn’t so sure that was the reason. When all is said and done, Tiger was right.

Tim had seen the testing files left behind by the previous scientists when they created the dynamic-less drug. The drug didn’t take away any previous orders placed on an omega nor would any new orders be able to be taken away. It was detrimental, in a sense, that she has probably been through the same thing Dick has, with the brainwashing and all but it was harder for Tim to garner sympathy for her… not when she acted like she did.

All that plagued Tim’s mind for the week without passing notes, was Dick. Especially since right now, there was nothing Tim could do now to help him. Going back on trying to convince Slade to let him see the other omega, Tim knew he was lying about everything he said. He wasn’t going to check on the baby because he literally couldn't… not without disrupting anything. He wasn’t a fucking surgeon. 

He was only glad that Slade hadn’t asked for any details about the whole ordeal. Tim had taken the alpha as one for being smart but after seeing how easily he gave into Tim’s faux explanation to see Dick, he almost took it back. Then again, Slade could’ve said yes for a reason. Manipulators like him were always planning something and maybe this was just a part of it. Even so, Tim wasn’t going to mess up a chance like this.

When Dick was brought into the lab, Tim could honestly see why Slade let them meet. Dick didn’t… necessarily look like he usually did. Of course, he looked like Dick but... it was the flagrant desolate mood and gloomy state that struck Tim as odd. He didn’t look… completely there. Not even when he finally peered up at Tim, did his expression change much. The small smile he gave looked broken in places where it was usually bright. In all fairness, it was an exact reflection of Dick’s last note; about him not being able to take it anymore. He looked completely depleted of all hope and entirely subjected to Slade’s every move. 

“You understand that you won't be here for long?” Slade said softly.

“Yes, Alpha.” 

Tim frowned at the interaction, not really sure how to react to Dick being so pliant. Tim sure didn’t miss the way Dick twitched, his emotions sparking with apprehension when Slade briefly secured an arm around his waist.

“You have thirty minutes,” Slade said to Tim. And Tim only nodded in response, not once looking away from Dick. Fortunately, the alpha quickly left and took Tiger with him.

“Dick.” Tim speedily approached and quickly pulled Dick into a hug- as close as he could go. Dick hugged him back, patting his back in an unusually friendly manner.

“Hey, Tim,” Dick said and Tim pulled back, watching the other omega’s broken smile return. “Can I sit down?”

Tim blinked at the question, not even registering Dick had asked it in the first place. _What was the need for it?_ Another reason Tim just realized why Slade let him see Dick was because Slade was able to use orders on Dick now. _Was he under one now? Was that why he asked that pointless question?_

“Yeah…” He watched Dick slowly try and sit down, balancing one hand on the armrest until Tim finally got the memo and decided to help him.

“Your hair is longer.” Tim gave a light-hearted comment to start up a conversation once Dick was fully seated. In actuality, Tim wanted to ask so many questions, most of them concerning Slade's plans for Dick, but Tim decided not to. He would save that for later.

“Yours is longer too,” Dick answered, smiling awkwardly as if he were trying to keep himself happy. Tim could tell that’s exactly what he was doing because his emotions seemed to fluctuate between two moods: happy and sad.

“Trust me, it won’t stay this way for long.” Tim murmured while pulling another chair over next to Dick’s. “I already plan on having Alfred cut it as soon as I get home. I think yours only grew this fast because of pregnancy hormones.” He settled in the seat, glimpsing at Dick’s wavy hair, having already reached the top of his shoulders. The length complimented his face's new soft and puffy roundness. Looking over him, Tim could tell Dick was perfectly healthy and well taken care of and Tim couldn’t say he wasn’t a little weirded out by it. He was happy Dick looked well but considering his exchange with Slade earlier, Tim couldn’t help but think the other omega was being… groomed for something.

Pretty soon, Tim was looking back at Dick’s face, finding that he was no longer smiling; instead, his mood seemed to have deflated even more and cloud over with remorse… The instant mood change startled Tim but when he saw what Dick was looking at, he understood.

Dick reached out and touched the collar around Tim’s neck, distress instantly coating the space between them. “I’m sorry.” The apology was muted by a whisper.

Tim lightly pushed his hand away and shrugged, reassuring the distressed omega. “There’s no need to say sorry, Dick. This thing hasn’t been on for a while now. They turned it off when I started working in the lab so I’m fine.”

Dick shook his head in denial, his mood caving by the second.

“T-there are bigger things to worry about, right now.” Tim quickly dropped the subject. “Why didn’t you tell me that Slade was back? Why didn’t you tell me what he was doing to you?”

“...Sorry.”

“Dick, I’m not mad at you. I’m just worried.”

“I’m sorry...”

“Stop saying sorry. You don’t need to do that.” Tim opted to change the subject again, knowing that this wasn’t going anywhere.

“Do you even remember anything that happened when I came in the first time?”

“A little bit… images here and there...”

“Do you remember if Slade…” Tim started picking at his pants. “...brought in your food and drink that day?”

“I don’t really remember. My memory is a little bit fuzzy especially during... _those times_ …” Dick looked down, seeming to drift somewhere else.

Tim restrained from saying anything about the enhancer drug. Not when Dick was looking this small and listless. _But when should he tell him?_

“Did you see the video?” Dick asked after a while of complete silence.

“No… Tiger only told me about it but I-”

“I knew it.” A sheen of hurt crossed Dick’s expression. “I knew you didn’t see it. There’s no way you would be defending me if you did.”

Tim moved to the edge of his seat, touching Dick’s knee. “Why wouldn’t I defend you? I’m-”

“I was starting to think you were right… about all those things you said about me before...” Dick spoke irrationally.

“No, Dick…” Tim shook his head. “All those things I said to you were wrong. I’m _sorry_ . I’m _really_ sorry. You told me to wait until I’m ready to do so, remember that? Our first truce?” Tim grinned timidly, hoping Dick comment on it but he didn’t… “I was wrong about you, Dick. You don’t need to feel bad about all of that anymore. Trust me. I’m on your side, _completely_.”

“Tim…” Dick said in a fragile voice, averting his eyes. “You really don’t have to force yourself to say these things.”

“But I’m not-”

“Bruce rejected me so how could you not do the same thing?” Dick blurted out suddenly.

Tim frowned. “What?”

“He rejected our bond… Our bond didn’t break naturally.” Dick struggled to keep his voice even. “It broke four days earlier than it should’ve. He rejected me.”

“What are you talking about?” Tim leaned forward. “Bruce would never do something like that. Who told you that?”

When Dick didn’t answer, Tim already knew who the culprit was.

“Slade’s lying to you, Dick.” Tim insisted. “You can’t seriously believe what he said? Bruce may take a long time to accept things, but he’s not an asshole. He’s loyal, he would never intentionally hurt you.”

“I felt it, Tim… I know he did.” Dick maintained his belief.

“You were probably just anxious because you had to wait for so long. And you didn’t even know the date back then so you can’t be for sure that Slade is telling the truth. You can’t believe anything he says.” 

“No…” Dick shook his head again. “It doesn’t matter… it makes sense why Bruce did it…”

“You have to believe in Bruce.” Tim persisted once more, sending comforting pheromones Dick’s way. “No matter what happened to Selina, he would never stoop so low. You’re being manipulated, Dick,” Tim spoke truthfully. He’s never seen Dick so downhearted before. Not even when he found out about Selina. _Was he really this easily manipulated?_

From here, Tim could feel Dick’s sadness and heartache. A broken bond could inflict so much pain on a person; so much unwanted disunion that in some cases, suicide was the unfortunate ending. Tim didn’t want that to happen.

“I wish I could believe you but… I can’t.” With despair suffused in his features, Dick looked down, bringing a hand to the back of his neck. “Because... Selina was supposed to be the one having Bruce’s baby...”

Tim’s eyes widened, his jaw going slack.

“Not me…” 

“W-what are you saying?”

Dick didn’t respond.

“Dick, answer me. What do you mean by Selina’s baby?” Tim felt cold, his mood plummeting at the implication that Selina was… _pregnant?_

“When you leave,” Dick began, not once looking at Tim. “Bring Cassandra with you. Keep her safe and make her happy. I want her to have a normal childhood.”

“Don’t talk as if you’re not coming with us.” Tim couldn’t help but to snap back. It’s because Dick wasn’t acting like himself anymore. _What had Slade been doing to him besides making him unresponsive? How much more damage could he do?_ And what’s worse is that Dick’s been diagnosed but it’s not currently being treated. They couldn’t stay here any longer than this. Tim had to do something; he had to do something to settle Dick’s mood. He had to give Dick hope again. He couldn’t stand seeing him like this anymore.

“Dick,” Tim said, causing the other omega to look at him. “I… I wasn’t going to tell you this here because I was afraid someone might be listening but…” He looked around the room and whispered. “I got in contact with Bruce this morning.”

Dick’s mood instantly changed, his eyes brightening, his doubt dwindling. “You… Bruce? Seriously?”

Tim nodded, placing a smile on his face. “The clan is preparing to come here soon. We just have to wait a little while longer.”

“Bruce is… he’s coming for me?”

Tim nodded again, trying to keep his smile stable.

“Did he ask about me? Does he hate me?” Dick urged.

Tim now understood why Bruce told him and Jason to watch what they said around Dick. Most times, Tim didn’t care which is why he ended up in trouble a lot of the time. But now, he felt like he was seeing another side of Dick that only Bruce had seen. A more vulnerable almost… lost side. He was almost like a child, one that sought for comfort in any way he could get it. Granted, it could’ve been his hormones spiraling out of control but this side of Dick seemed accustomed to codependency. In hindsight, the need to be accepted, and to be rewarded was engraved into his mind.

“No, of course not. He said he misses you.” Tim said knowing he would never hear Bruce say that in a lifetime. “He said he’s never doubted you. Not even once.”

"Bruce… said that?" Dick cracked a tiny smile.

“He did…”

“Promise me.” Dick pressed, staring at Tim with hope.

Tim was a little taken aback by Dick’s insistence but eventually, he said, “I promise.”

Dick moved to the edge of his chair and hugged Tim as close as he could. “Thank you, Tim. I knew you could do it.” 

Tim lied to Dick about Bruce and he didn’t tell him about the enhancer drug either. He had no way of knowing about Bruce’s feelings nor did he know how this enhancer would react. Tim was just trying to keep Dick from falling further into his suffering. _He wasn’t an awful person for doing that, right?_

“I can’t wait...” Dick pulled back. “I can’t wait to go back home... I could really use some steak right now.”

Tim stared at him blankly before letting out a soft laugh, hearing Dick continue.

“I want steak, donuts, and popcorn from the movie theater.”

Even as guilt settled in Tim’s gut, he couldn’t help but laugh some more. “Does it have to be specifically from the movie theater?”

“It does.” Dick laughed a little. “They have the best butter.”

“What the hell.” Tim chuckled.

Dick gave a bashful smile. “Sorry, it’s just, I’m starving for something I actually want to eat.”

Tim smiled, gently patting Dick’s leg. “You’ll get everything you want really soon…”

_I’m sorry, Dick._

~*2 Days Later*~

Rain pattered against the window panes of a large mansion sitting at the outer rim of Gotham City. The view from the bedroom extended across the Great Bay, where the clouds were darker and the rain was heavier. Nevertheless, Gotham always suffered the butt of the storm. Especially when the seasons were changing and Winter was just around the corner. The storm soon brought in rumbling thunder and flashes of lightning; a storm that made it hard for some people to sleep through.

Rex Calabrese was one of those people. The sound of thunder clapping across the sky, roused him to a restless wake. With a huff and a strain, the old alpha rolled onto his back, giving himself a moment to shed away the sleep before opening his eyes. Thunder roared and a streak of lighting followed as Rex ultimately sat up, his aging limbs creaking in all the wrong places. There was a soft thud at the far end of the room, causing the old alpha to twitch with a start. He stared out into the room's dark expanse to where he knew his sitting area and a fireplace were. In that instant, another flash of lighting dove across the room, briefly exposing a group of dark shadows ahead of him. 

Rex scrambled backward, back hitting the headboard upon seeing the lamp across the room flicker on. The light was dim amongst the bright lightning blazing outside the window but Rex would never mistake that face for anyone else. Bruce Wayne... was sitting on a chair, surrounded by his group of, who the old alpha thought to be, heatheness clan members.

“Good morning, Mr. Calabrese,” Stephanie said as she stepped away from the lamp, letting the pull chain clang against the glass base as it swung back and forth. “We were wondering when you were going to wake up.”

“It’s a shame that even a man like you with so much at risk doesn’t have a good security system.” Bette pointed out, leaning her elbow on the back of Bruce’s chair. “Steph bypassed the system easily and from how fast it was done, I would say you need to look into getting an entirely new system.”

“W-what the hell are you doing here!?” The old alpha stammered, pushing back further into the headboard. “You infidels! I-I’ll call the police!”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Kathy held up a silver syringe with the word ‘Surge’ written on the barrel. “Lookie at what we found.” She taunted.

Rex grew stiff, his jaw clenching when his ceiling light flickered on. He swiftly discovered another person, Jason, leaning against the door frame, moving his hand away from the light switch. And the old alpha had every means to move further away, for the other alpha was closer to him than anyone else in the room.

“For months, we’ve been searching for any leads.” Kathy proceeded to speak, taking extra care to level her gaze with Rex’s. “Who knew we’d find something that would lead us right back to our own hometown. A local; a man trusted by the public because he created the perfect heat suppressor… only for it to be used for... something else.” 

Rex gulped, quickly regaining the confidence to yell again. “I don’t know what you lunatics are talking about. I want you to leave, right now! ”

Kathy carelessly tossed the syringe onto the foot of his bed before holding out her hand for Bette to give her a folder. “We also ransacked your study downstairs earlier today while you were at work.”

Rex went still.

Kathy finally took her gaze away from the alpha and sifted through a few pages before pausing, a wry smile tugging the ends of her lips. “The Dynamic-less drug is what you call it, right?” She flipped to the next page. “And it was being administered to the public as a sort of ‘trial run’...” Kathy tapered off, turning to another page.

At the growing smell of foreboding pheromones, Rex spared Bruce a glance, finding his gaze dipping with a dangerous murkiness.

“Ah, here it is!” Kathy exclaimed, demanding Rex’s attention again. “Subject #1… this omega only complained about experiencing pain after taking the Surge suppressor. There was nothing else recorded about the subject thereafter. Says here that the subject was a failure.” Kathy tapped her finger against the page, reading on. 

“Subject #265. They also experienced pain after taking Surge Suppressor. She filed a complaint against Surge enterprises before sadly but suddenly dying from a seizure. Then her body was _mysteriously_ dug up from her grave. This omega wasn’t counted as a failure but… she wasn’t viable either.”

“Stop this non-” 

“Ah, ah.” Bette looked up from her nails and tutted after cutting Rex off. “She’s not done.”

“Subject #1,246.” Kathy read slowly and with astonishment with having already skipped to the thousands. “This omega actually went to the doctor before filing a complaint to Surge Enterprises. The doctor reported the matter on his blog, gaining media attention. In the blog, he stated that his patient’s dynamic had entirely disappeared. As expected, this omega was found dead two days later and this case was covered up. But this time, the subject was a _pass_ and their dead body was brought back for testing.” Kathy looked up at the old alpha, to find him nervously dripping sweat before he looked off to the side.

“Let's read one last entry, shall we?” Kathy skipped a few more pages, stopping when she hit the three thousand mark. 

“Subject #3,630. This omega reported to an online forum about his pain. The account and post about his dynamic completely disappearing mysteriously got deleted. And guess what?” Kathy slammed the folder shut and folded her arms. “He was found dead two days later but this time, his death was reported as a suicide. This subject was _also_ a pass and his body was used for further testing… and it’s sad, but I can keep going on and on and on.” Kathy walked around Bruce’s chair, progressively making her way to the foot of Rex’s bed.

“I must say that your research is commendable, Mr. Calabrese. Coming to the conclusion that people who are at least eight generations away from the old Prime bloodlines have all been coincidentally born as rare defects. And you wanted to find out what exactly made them defects. So you created some type of concoction, infused it with the Surge suppressor then you cold-heartedly tested it out on the public.” Kathy spat out. “And those who passed the experiment were killed and tested on so you could see how exactly their dynamics disappeared.”

Specifically, the records she was holding went back as far as four years ago. For four fucking years, this asshole had been using the Surge suppressor for human experimentation. And Kathy never knew about it even though she’d been taking the suppressor herself. _Looks like it didn’t affect everyone._ She doesn’t know how this drug works, but from the other records she’d seen in Rex’s study, the research and prospect itself had been going on since _way_ before Surge Enterprises was created… This knowledge had been passed down through generations and Rex was the one who finally perfect it.

“All of your business dealings connect with human experimentation. Your entire family is a part of it.” Kathy sighed. “Seems like our great grandfather didn’t know who he was donating his money too, right Bruce?” 

“Human experimentation is illegal, you know,” Bette spoke up. “But I guess you’ve had the money and resources to do this all discreetly. That’s where DS comes in.”

“You worked with DS.” Bruce finally disclosed, his voice murky with an alpha’s vehemence and a stream of resentment. Kathy froze, hearing Bruce’s shoe drag against the carpet as he stood up from the chair. “You sent those damn assassins after me.”

“I...” The old man tried to frown but trembled all the same. “I had no choice. You killed my daughter!”

“I didn’t kill Selina!”

“Brucie.” Bette settled a hand on the alpha’s shoulder, waiting for Kathy to soothe him with her pheromones, for a beta like her could do nothing.

“You _did_ kill her, Wayne Jr,” Rex bit back and mocked his name. “She’s dead because you ignored my request. I told you not to let her join your corrupt and depraved clan! I warned you what would happen!”

When Bruce moved forward, Kathy swiftly turned around and placed a hand on his chest. “Brucie… calm down.” She spoke softly, letting her pheromones surround him. 

“You’re damn right, I sent assassins after you!” Rex Calabrese continued his angry shouting. “I wanted you dead after what happened. You _should_ be dead, in a grave, _just like your parents.”_

“Fuck…” Kathy sighed. _He just had to go below the belt…_

A growl ripped through Bruce’s throat, his pheromones spilling over into a more predatory area, causing everyone to come over and help Kathy steady the alpha. “Remain calm…” She bruisingly pressed a hand into his heaving chest. “We can’t have you losing control.”

“Crazy alpha, you can’t even control your anger!” Rex growled back. “You would’ve done my daughter no good.”

“Get him to shut the hell up,” Bette said to Stephanie, who quickly wandered away.

“Think about Dick and Tim,” Kathy spoke to her furious cousin. “If you kill Rex now we won’t be able to get any information out of him about their whereabouts.” Behind her, she heard Stephanie doing something to muffle Rex’s voice as she watched Bruce attempt to calm himself.

“Show him the video.” Kathy motioned for Bette to move but she hesitated to let go of Bruce. “It’s okay, Jean, Jason, and I have him.”

Bette nodded before pulling out her cellphone and journeying across the room. She looked up to see Stephanie, having roughly yanked the sheet out of place to secure it around Rex’s mouth. 

“You have a child on the way, Bruce. You don’t want this kind of blood on your hands…” Kathy reasoned again, using anything to soothe Bruce’s anger. “Think… think about Selina…” 

Bruce’s tense stance faltered.

“Her father may be insane but you of all people know she wouldn’t want you to do this…” Finally, Bruce looked down at Kathy and she was proven right once again. Selina was the only one who could calm Bruce down _even when she wasn’t alive..._

“You’re wrong about Bruce, Mr. Calabrese,” Bette stated once she reached the bed, clicked play, and held up her phone. “You see, Selina’s death wasn’t his fault.” The video was put on full volume, and the entire clan recognized it’s contents, for having watched it so many times. “DS was the one who killed Selina.”

Bette watched Rex’s nostrils flare, his expression baring with repulsive astonishment.

“You have been working closely with the Wilson family for a while now, so you should recognize her voice. It’s the voice of Slade’s daughter, Rose.” Bette confirmed, seeing the old alpha’s eyes widen. 

“Dick, at this time, was working under an Alpha order.” Stephanie indicated once Dick appeared on the screen. “We have no proof that Rose was under one as well, but you should take it as you see it. They lied to you and used you for your knowledge on dynamic biology and in turn, you used them to put a hit on Bruce’s head.” She kept her stance ready just in case Rex decided to fight back, but from what she could smell, the old alpha’s haughty pheromones were waning. 

“You don’t get to use Selina’s death as a reason to blame Bruce and destroy the heat suppressor,” Bette said, hearing the exact moment Selina died and seeing Rex turn away. “To kill people then to cover it up. You of all people know Selina would have never wanted that.”

Kathy turned around, feeling safe enough to remove her hand from Bruce’s chest. “You also didn’t want Selina to find out about your family history, by experimenting on humans. That’s why you didn’t want her to join the clan. She was too curious and she would’ve eventually found out… And all the while, she was just trying to protect all of us from Risen. Which, I forgot to mention… their working with DS too.”

“What do you have to say for yourself, Rex Calabrese?” Bette asked.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He couldn’t say anything. He’d been compromised and was surrounded by a group of trained fighters that had weapons. He was utterly and entirely guilty… and he was stuck here staring at the last remnants of his daughter's life wasting away before his eyes.

“You’re a sick excuse of a human being Rex.” Kathy strolled over, retaining a hard stare. “I would offer you a bit of remorse for having to watch that video but I can't even do that… But here’s what you can do.” She stopped beside the bed, staring down at the wilted old man. “You will tell us everything you know about DS. You will tell us where their hideout is. You will come clean to the public about tainting the Surge Suppressor and using it for human experimentation- then, you will turn yourself in to the authorities.”

~*4 Hours later*~

Tiger had taken it upon himself to sneak out whenever he could to get in contact with his client. The best times happened to be when the Wilson family went out on a mission. That usually happened about two weeks or so, but Tiger could never be too careful, especially with Rose around. As of late, she hadn’t been sent on any missions; therefore Tiger had to cut back on making contact. 

Sometimes, if he was bold enough, he’d leave the whiz kid by himself and contact his client then. Unfortunately, that came with some ramifications. Rose questioned him and he lied and because she was suspenseful about both him and Tim, they both had to suffer the consequences of her staying in the lab for longer hours. Nevertheless, Tiger needed to get in contact with his client as soon as possible. She was a sweet lady and she was _extremely_ sick. All she had was one wish, and Tiger had been working hard to make it come true. Unfortunately, he was having a hard time doing that, and he hated having to tell his client the bad news every single time...

“He still uses the old version of the dynamic-altering drug to control a few of his hunters. I’m put at a huge risk when that happens.” Tiger spoke into the cell phone as he leaned against one of the many vans sitting outside of the building's entrance. It was an abandoned warehouse situated on a small port on Mooney bay just outside of west Gotham.

“I’m also not able to access certain rooms Slade is able to access.” Hearing a creaking sound from above, Tiger briefly looked over his shoulder. A sudden gust of wind blew against the building, causing an old crooked sign to swing back and forth, creaking softly.

_“What about Joey?”_

Tiger slowly took his eyes away from the sign. “He’s Brainwashed… and completely loyal to his father… If he sees any signs of anyone betraying the clan, he goes straight to his father. Like I said before, he’s hard to read.”

_“I’m sorry if it seems like I’m rushing you but I don’t have enough time.”_

“How long do you have?”

_“Three months at the most…”_

Tiger sighed softly, shifting until his back was against the van. He looked up the side of the building, his eye’s stopping on the roof where he found a flicker of shadows faintly wavering before disappearing into the hush of the night.

_“The doctor confirmed it last night.”_

Tiger squinted his eyes, making sure he was just seeing things. “I’ll keep trying… but even if I mention your name, Rose can’t leave.” 

Keeping his voice low, Tiger moved away from the van, turning his back towards the building as he looked out across the sea of old container ports where more shadows appeared. “She’s still under orders. I’m doing all that I can to help you but…”

_“I know you are… Thank you Tiger for trying so hard for all these years.”_

Tiger wasn’t seeing things this time. The silhouettes were moving… surrounding… ominously advancing... 

_Shit_ … 

“It’s no problem, Ms. Worth.” Tiger paused in his step, hearing a metallic sound hitting the camera above the entrance door. When a rain of sparks flew off the broken device Tiger didn’t dare turn around.

“Sorry, Ms. Worth, I’ll have to call you back.” 

As soon as Tiger ended the call, a long sword hastily lined his neck, stopping him from moving forward.

“You might not wanna move.” A woman's voice said next to his ear.

“You guys are quicker than I thought you’d be,” Tiger replied, feeling her yank his cellphone out of his hand.

“You know us?” The voice said, the sword scratching the surface of his skin.

“I've seen your file.”

“Well good. That makes our introductions easier. Come on.” With the sword still at Tiger’s neck, Stephanie pulled him back by the collar.

“It’s you.” Jason came into view once Stephanie slammed Tiger against a brick wall. “I’m not even surprised.”

“You’ve met before?” Stephanie asked, using one hand to smash Tiger’s phone into the wall, successfully breaking it. “Hold him.”

“Yeah, at the promenade.” Tiger took Stephanie’s place, holding a gun to the other alpha’s head. “And here I thought you were just some asshole alpha trying to flirt with Dickie.”

“If he was single… maybe.” Tiger felt Stephanie strapping something to the side of his belt buckle before moving to the other side.

“Ah, you better be glad Bruce is on the other side of the building.” Jason tapped his earpiece. “He’d _kill_ to hear you say that to his face.”

“Alright, it’s secure,” Stephanie confirmed.

Tiger didn’t move when Jason backed away, for he wasn’t sure what Stephanie had put on him.

“You have 2 mini electrically charged chips wrapped around this belt. It will riddle you completely paralyzed from the waist down if you don’t cooperate.” Stephanie explained.

With a sigh, Tiger put his hands up in surrender and turned around. “What's the plan?”

Stephanie raised a brow. “I see you’re willing to cooperate.”

“I don’t want to be paralyzed, so I have no choice.”

“Good man. First, tell us why no one is alarmed that we’ve been cutting off the cameras?” Stephanie inquired.

“Let’s just say the night security is a little lax around here.” _That_ and a lot of the regular surveillance hunters were out on a mission. But Slade should be checking up on things soon.

“Let's get straight to the point then.” Stephanie smirked “We’ve got this entire port occupied. There are three buildings here, and they all seem to be active with hunters. Which building is Tim and Dick in?”

Tiger gestured toward, “This one here.” 

Stephanie considered him for a moment before sliding something off her utility belt. “Alright, then prove it to us.”

Stephanie handed Tiger a small tablet, quickly moving to place another device on the strap going across the alpha’s chest.

“We’re pinning this camera to your chest. We’ll be able to see everything you do. Give this to either Tim or Dick so we can talk. Think you can do that?” 

“I have no choice.” Tiger started toward the door, leaving Jason and Stephanie to stare after him.

“He seemed… a little too easy to convince.” Stephanie pulled out the other tablet which was directly connected to the one she gave Tiger. 

“Yeah, he didn’t even make an attempt to fight back.” Jason agreed, watching Stephanie turn on the tablet.

“Well, at least he made it easy for us.”

“Bruce, are you on the way?” Jason asked as he looked at Stephanie open up the split-screen video program.

**_“Yes, I’m leaving Gordon to handle the other buildings.”_ **

“This place kinda looks like a mental facility,” Jason commented, watching Tiger walk through the building. “With the white walls and everything.”

“It looks exactly like all the other places, Jason.”

“Yeah, but now all the lights are on. I can see it clearly now.”

“ _The rain is gone._..” Stephanie murmured the tune, causing Jason to give her a look.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it.” She sheepishly smiled.

“Stupid.” Jason smiled back and playfully nudged her arm.

 **_“You two,”_ ** Kathy said. **_“I get that you want to brighten the mood but please try and concentrate.”_ **

“They’ll be more serious from now on.” Bruce--who came out of nowhere--clapped a hand on both Jason and Stephanie’s shoulders from behind.

“I didn’t know you were _that_ close,” Jason muttered, soon looking back down at the split-screen. Tiger was now pulling his hand away from a keypad and opening a rather large door.

 _“Whiz kid.”_ The audio feedback wavered once Tiger spoke for the first time. He entered the room, bringing into view a familiar set of dark locks with an equally familiar posture. One that was hunched over a table and biting the end of his pen in concentration. They all knew who it was but it wasn’t until Tim turned around that a shred of relief surrounded the three clan members.

“He was telling the truth but… did he just call him Whiz kid?” Stephanie questioned.

“He has bandages on his arms…” Jason glowered, his focus returning to Tim’s face which was now sporting that same little frown and pouty lips he missed so much.

 _“You’ve got a message.”_ Tiger handed Tim the tablet and Stephanie quickly turned off the split-screen, showing only Tim’s face.

 _“Jay! You’re here!”_ The remark slipped past Tim’s lips, followed by a crinkle of his eyes. He was going to cry.

Jason smirked. “I’m here, Timmy.”

“Bruce, Steph,” Tim said, his voice going soft and his brows twitching as his eyes glistened. “Finally… you guys took so fucking long.” All at once, tears streamed down his cheeks, dangling off his chin.

“Are you alright, son?” Bruce asked, actively trying to ease his worry.

Tim nodded, his voice cracking. “I’m fine, guys. Totally fine.” 

Bruce didn’t miss the way Tim brought the tablet closer and away from his bandaged arms. Jason noticed too, but in the end, no one mentioned it out loud.

“Where’s Dick?” Bruce didn’t miss a beat in asking about his mate.

Tim briefly swept away his tears. “He’s two floors down.” 

“Is he alright?”

“Um...” Glancing downward, Tim chose his response wisely. “He and the baby are alive.”

Bruce gave a hard swallow, going back on the means of questioning his son any further. They would worry about everything else later. All they needed to do now was to get them to safety.

“Tim, we’re getting ready to break through security, cut off the electricity and raid the place.” Bruce discussed the plan. “Gordon brought back up. Once the security measures are down I want you to go directly to Dick, and one of the members will meet you halfway. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

“This won’t be a quick rescue mission. We might encounter a few hunters on the way, so if you're able to fight, I need you to protect Dick and keep the tablet with you for communication.”

The entire plan was a bit vague, considering the clan only just found out the location a few hours ago. There were three buildings on the port, and they were all filled with hunters, and the clan's plan was to destroy as much of the operation as they could. It would be better to get Tim and Dick to safety first while they wipe out everyone else, but these buildings were huge, who knows how many hunters they’d have to fight through.

“Got it,” Tim nodded frantically, feeling himself start to panic. “I-I can do that.”

“Breathe, Timmy,” Jason instructed. “You’re safe now- I’m coming to get you.”

Tim gave a deadend smile, still feeling too anxious to offer a real one. “I can’t wait to see you guys.”

“We can’t either, Timmy,” Stephanie said with a bright grin.

“Alright,” Bruce said. “Tim, we’ll give you the signa-”

“Bruce,” Tim cut the alpha off, giving him a fixed stare. “I need you to confirm something for me real quick.”

Tim’s gaze glimmered with severity, causing Bruce to frown in question as he waited for the omega to continue.

“Did you… Did you reject the bond you had with Dick?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you guys think Bruce would break their bond? 🤔
> 
> And yes, they were really standing in Rex's bedroom just waiting in the dark because... dramatic reveal scenes are funny and cliché 😅😅


	37. Freedom… but at What Cost?

Dick slowly sat up, feeling the blanket sliding off his shoulders as he looked behind him at the door. From there, he could just barely make out the sound of distant voices and scrambling footsteps, getting further and further away. Unhurriedly, he pulled the blanket back, letting his feet hit the floor with a soft thud as he tried and failed to stand up normally. It wouldn’t ever be normal with his heavy belly offsetting his counterbalance as the arch of his back took on all the weight.

After having stood up straight, Dick naturally placed a hand on his stomach, feeling a faint movement push against his left side. He was thrown into an ambiance of elatedness, having already felt his fifth kick since the first time Tim came to see him over a week ago. The first time it happened, he didn’t even believe it was real. Seeing himself in the mirror showed him the reality of his current state, but actually feeling his pup move, formed a different reality altogether. 

_This was real…_

When Dick first found out he was pregnant, he never expected to feel this way. Before, he harbored so many insecurities and rejected the idea of having a pup at all. Now, there was a sort of fondness and warmth that bound him to the life he and Bruce created together. If he could, he wanted to share this moment with his mate. 

Another shout from outside of his door caught Dick off guard. He made his way over, pressing an ear against the wall and listened carefully. It wasn’t until the lights flickered off and the door popped open--leaving Dick in complete darkness-- that he knew something was wrong. Dick felt his heart skip a beat at the thought of Tim’s words from the other day.

_Bruce was coming for him… Bruce was here…_

As quickly as he could, Dick felt along the wall, going in the direction of the bathroom. He twisted the knob and opened the door, slowly putting his hands out until he felt the mirror. He easily pounded a fist into the mirror, once then twice, hearing the glass break and feeling the sharp ends prick at his knuckles. He shook off the pain and carefully felt along the surface of the sink, searching for the largest piece he could find. 

Breaking glass mirrors was practically the mantra of Dick’s childhood. He’d once tried to stab Slade with a piece he’d hidden under his pillow, only to be easily manhandled back onto the bed. Then he tried again a month later, then a few months after that. Back then, Slade found it amusing enough for him to never order Dick to stop. 

Slade was conceited and knew he was stronger than the omega ever was. It sickened Dick to think that Slade--the man who trained him--thought so little of him. Back then, it was an insult even though Dick knew he never stood a chance. But now, Dick was stronger. He felt as if he could beat Slade in a one on one. 

That was his only wish. To kill Slade with his own hands and move on with his life. He wanted it to happen as soon as possible. Right now, would be his ideal timing but unfortunately, he was pregnant and half-blind. He wouldn’t be fighting much with the condition he’s in, but he could at least try and protect himself. If Bruce didn’t make it to him in time, he would _have_ too. 

Dick found his way back to the door with ease, using his free hand to push open the door. Little by little, he looked outside, finding very dim edge lighting, bordering the ceiling of the hallways. The backup generators must have activated them, but the hallways were still dark enough for Dick to travel through with stealth. The fact that no one was guarding the door, meant that they didn’t know his door had opened. The clan must’ve broken through the security measures and if that were true, that meant Tim was free too.

By using his feet and leaning against the door frame, Dick quickly took his socks off, knowing he was bound to slip on the white tile flooring with them on. He quickly made his way down the hallway, his mind acquisitive about finding Cassandra. Above everything else, that would be his first mission. 

Stopping every few feet to glance into a few other rooms, Dick soon came upon a livingroom/kitchen area. From where he stood, he could hear something boiling behind the short wall sitting at the rear of the counter bar. Walking around to the other side, Dick found an abandoned pot of what smelled to be a soup of some sort. And Dick all but gladly turned up the heat before going through a few drawers in search for a big knife. When he found one, he placed the glass piece on the counter before slowly bending to his knees. He blindly felt against the cabinets, pulling open the door then proceeded to look for the heaviest pan he could find. 

Upon hearing a soft set of footsteps, Dick stayed low in the darkness and looked behind him. He found another opening, opposite of the one he came through and watched as a dark silhouette rushed by. After struggling to stand up, Dick quickly made his way over to the opening, holding the iron pan in one hand and the knife in another. He gradually peaked through the space, finding a hallway with the left side leading up to a dark stairway and the right side leading to a dead end. There were more doors going down the right side and there was also that same tall silhouette standing there and struggling with an even smaller silhouette.

“So the Alpha was right about checking downstairs. How the hell did you open the door?!”

Dick recognized both scents from afar. One being Cassandra and the other being...

“Angie,” Dick called out, watching the silhouette freeze and turn around. Then Angelica started forward, pulling Cassandra harshly along with her. Dick quickly backed into the kitchen area, holding his makeshift weapons behind his back.

“You little shit,” Angelica said once she rounded the corner. “How the fuck did you get out of your room?!”

The faint sound of gunshots and shouts echoed off the walls as Dick steadied his ground. “If you hadn’t noticed, all of the doors are unlocked.”

“I always hated that sarcastic mouth of yours.” Dick could practically see Angelica’s famous scowl, the same one that emphasized the ugly scars going down her face. “I don't understand why our Alpha keeps someone like _you_ alive. You cause nothing but trouble."

"Jealous much?"

"Not if you're dead."

Dick smirked, feeling a long lost sense of confidence overcome him. “I'm glad to see you've finally admitted it, Angie. Unfortunately for you, jealousy and that scar on your face, are your ugliest traits.”

Angie finally took her hand away from Cassandra and slowly stepped forward. Dick caught sight of her pulling out a weapon. It was a long double edge blade she usually practiced with and was surprisingly good with it too. With her being in the same building as Dick, she must’ve worked her way up by putting that sword to good use.

“Cassandra,” Dick said, watching the young alpha perk at attention. “Turn around and cover your ears for me, will you?” 

Cassandra did as she said, quickly covering her ears and turned around, whimpering when she heard a muted sloshing sound and a piercing scream.

“You fucking bitch! I’ll kill you, Talon!!”

Feeling scared, Cassandra shut her eyes tighter, shivering at the sound of more dim thumps, grunts, and strangled cries. All the uncomfortable noises almost caused Cassandra to cry herself, for she was rooted to the spot and too afraid to run away. But Dick told her to stay, so she would stay. Before long, the awful noises disappeared and Cassandra was no longer able to smell that lady’s scent; she could only smell Dick’s.

“Keep your eyes closed, Cass.” A familiar sweet scent surrounded her. “Don’t open them until I tell you too.”

Cassandra nodded, feeling a gentle hand push her forward until she was walking along with her guide, taking several more steps.

“You can open your eyes now.” 

Cassandra unhurriedly peeked through her lashes, immediately looking up and finding Dick pulling a finger away from his mouth. “Needs more salt.” He muttered and from this angle, Cassandra could scarcely make out his dark expression. It put Cassandra on edge.

“Sorry if I scared you but there’s just some things you shouldn’t see.” He said, his dark look vanishing, switching to a warm smile. “Cass, I want you to listen very closely to me. We’re getting out of here and I need you to stay very _very_ close to me, okay?”

Without question, Cassandra nodded, reaching out for Dick’s hand then they started walking towards the stairs.

“If we get in trouble somewhere along the way and I’m not able to help you or myself, that’s when you need to run.” Dick stopped, briefly taking his eyes away from the stairway. “When I tell you to run, Cass, I want you to run as fast as you can. And when you do, I want you to either find Tim or find safety.” 

Cassandra whimpered at the thought of leaving Dick’s side, instinctively clinging to his leg.

“Cassandra,” Dick spoke in a serious tone; one Cassandra didn’t recognize or particularly like. “When I tell you to run, _that is_ what you will do.” 

She hated this. She hated how Dick sounded. So serious and scary. She wanted Dick to go back to normal but she nodded anyway, feeling the omega run a gentle hand through her hair. 

“Good. This is the time for you to be brave, Cassandra.” Dick pulled her along, hand gripping the knife tightly enough to leave an imprint on his hand. He was trying to calm down… he could feel himself going into another place; a dark and murky place; a place he hadn’t been to in a long time. It was after he threw that pot of boiling soup in Angelica’s face, rendering her motionless with a simple pan to the head, and knife to the neck, that he felt a familiar emotion arise… and with it came memories of a time where he hadn’t necessarily been ordered to kill anyone.

_It just happened…_

That side of himself had no reasoning, no mind, no pity… it consumed him when too much anger had built up; it consumed him because he had nowhere else to place his anger. And right now, he wasn’t so much as angry as he was protective. Right now, he focused all this bad energy on protecting Cassandra. He wasn’t going to let her get hurt, let along, himself or his pup. His body was pumping with adrenaline, ready to go; ready to do anything to get out of here. He was barefoot and pregnant, balancing on the line of simply knocking someone out or killing without mercy. Angelica had been his first kill in a while and she hadn’t been so hard to take down. _Why should anyone else?_

He was getting too cocky. He needed to remain sensible. Dick knew he couldn’t fight as hard as he normally could but at least he could try too. It’s what he was raised to do. The hunters could only comprehend the value of their existence through the narrow and greedy confines of their own wants and desires and Dick was no different. He’d grown up with assassins. He’d trained with assassins. He didn’t hate the skill he gained but he did hate what he’d been forced to do with it. Now, without being ordered, he would do as he pleased if only to see Bruce again.

  
  


~*2 Months Ago*~

_“I need your help, Babs.”_

_Barbara looked up from her desk, regarding a rather withered and brittle version of Bruce. “Of course you do. Otherwise, I’d never see you here.”_

_She’d seen this appearance before, only once when Bruce came to see her after Selina died. She was just starting out then and she’d yet to gain a lot of clients but upon their family’s association, he came._

_“The videos, the extra ones I received,” Bruce spoke shortly, glancing at her. “Did you watch them?”_

_Barbara slowly nodded. “I’ve watched them, yes.”_

_“What did you think?”_

_“It’s the same analysis that I’ve given you before.” Barbara murmured as she reached for her glasses case._

_Bruce sported a confused look. “Nothing… nothing seemed off to you? I th-”_

_“No, there was nothing out of place.” Barbara wiped the dust from the lens before putting her glasses on. “It’s the same thing as the other video… the one with Selina.” Though she could argue that some of the murdering scenes were very… gruesome and almost unbearable to watch, she still stood with her prior analysis. Bruce, on the other hand, seemed to be conflicted._

_“Then why am I…” Bruce struggled to speak; struggled to admit. “I've been doubting him- Dick… I’ve been doubting him until the very moment our bond broke.”_

_“When did your bond break?”_

_“Last Thursday, in the middle of the night.”_

_Barbara peeked at her desk calendar. August 19th. Right on time._

_“I’ve been feeling sick ever since,” Bruce confessed softly._

_“You don't want to doubt him anymore?”_

_“No, I don't.” Bruce insisted. “It’s wrong. I know this is wrong and that none of this was Dicks fault… none of it. But I…”_

_“But what?”_

_“That’s why I need your help, Babs…” Bruce frowned as if he were trying to come up with a reason. “Because I don’t know what to do anymore.”_

_Barbara sighed and clasped her hands together, staring at Bruce with solemnity. “You do know, Bruce. You know exactly what you need to do. You’ve known for five years now.” For a moment, Barbara looked away and grabbed her clipboard with a note formatted paper already clipped to it. It was her day off and she had planned on cleaning up her office but Bruce was a different case altogether. She wanted to help him._

_“After switching from therapist to therapist, until you finally stopped going all together...” Barbara took out a pen and Bruce watched her uncap it. “...you know exactly what needs to be done but you’ve been running from it.”_

_Bruce sat back in the seat, his usual hard expression returning. Barbara instantly recognized his stance, for she’d seen it on multiple patients before. He was pulling away, distancing himself from the truth physically and mentally._

_“I won’t help you unless you’re ready to completely move on,” Barbara said, not beating around the bush in the slightest. “You’ll need to commit to actively trying to let go and quickly before you hurt Dick even more.”_

_“I have moved on it’s just those videos-”_

_“Those are excuses, Bruce.” Barbara interrupted. “You're using those videos to justify thinking about Selina again. It’s because you’re too comfortable in that mindset of hanging onto what you had with Selina. That’s why you’ve fallen back.”_

_Barbara sighed when Bruce didn’t respond. “Listen, I’m not saying you can’t feel sad or shocked. You are most definitely allowed to feel that way but you have a mate now and possibly a child on the way. Whether your bond is broken or not, you're in a relationship.”_

_“I know that…”_

_“I can see that you've already accepted that she’s gone, but you have yet to completely move on. If you had continued going to therapy, then maybe you might’ve been able to get over this… ‘doubt’ of yours. If you’re willing to accept the risks of getting over a person then I can help you but you’ll need to commit to it fully. What do you say?”_

_Bruce leaned a bit closer, his expression unscrewing from the frown. “Tell me what I should do.”_

_Barbara nodded and began writing down a couple of pointers while she spoke. “We’ve discussed this before about your attachment patterns. Selina was there when your parents died so she was a major additive to your happiness. Selina died, then Dick appeared as another additive to your happiness. Essentially, you used both of them to mask your real problems.”_

_“I wasn’t using Dick.”_

_“Sorry, let me rephrase that…” Barbara backtracked. “You took advantage of his feelings and his innocence. He barely knew anything about the world after leaving DS. And like I said before, you acted as his savior and took advantage of him.”_

_Bruce looked down, considering what she said._

_“I’ve told you this before, but Dick clings to everything that makes him feel happy. Emotionally, he’s a needy child. Whether you knew it or not, you took advantage of that… He trusts you and right now he’s waiting for you but you’re doubting him… Your current actions are counterproductive.”_

_Bruce sighed as Barbara continued._

_“You need to ask yourself why you're thinking that way while also actively trying to push those thoughts away.” She looked down, writing a few more things. “And as for Selina, you need to actively reflect every time you find yourself thinking about her. This is a complete reset and I’m telling you now, it won’t be easy. You will slip up, that's inevitable, but in those moments that you do, you need to think about why you did it. At the end of the day, I can’t force you to do any of these things but if you do, it has to be active and constant. You have to push yourself daily.”_

_Seeing Dick unconscious on that hospital bed struck Bruce in ways he hadn’t even imagined. The last thing he wanted was for Dick to get hurt and possibly, die. But still, after seeing that video, Bruce went on to doubt his omega. He went to Selina's grave and doubted him even more. But when he was alone… after his bond broke he'd never felt more empty. Not even when Selina died had he ever felt this empty._

_Bruce felt as though he failed Dick, in a way. He felt guilty and stupid for even considering Dick to be a sham. Barbara was harsh on him but she told nothing but the truth. Bruce needed to work on himself so he could keep his promise with Dick._

_At the hospital, Bruce told his omega he would always be there for him; that he would help him find peace; that he would give him the best experiences life could offer. He could say he loved Dick all he wanted to but in order for it to be true, he would have to show it; to prove it._

_During the four-month period of Dick’s absence, Bruce still found himself slipping up. He’d have moments where he’d want to dig up a few of Selina’s letters he had Alfred hide somewhere in storage. He’d have moments where he’d watch those videos again, trying to but undoubtedly, failing to not doubt Dick. All while he was still going out and searching through abandoned bases with the clan._

_The moment where they confronted Rex. Bruce let the thought of Selina overcome him when he shouldn’t have. It's because Selina truly wouldn't have wanted Bruce to hurt her father. This was her father and despite everything, she did love him. He wasn't going to kill the man simply because of that. Still, he needed to compulsively get rid of those thoughts or he would fall into that same pattern once again. Dick was with Slade and being made to do things he didn’t have control over; in this way, Bruce didn’t have a right to doubt him, he didn’t have a right to slip up. He would keep his promise to Dick. He would never give up on him._

_

**_“No, I didn’t break our bond.”_ **

Bruce stated and Tim believed him. Even without the confirmation of Jason saying he was in Bruce’s office when it happened, Tim would still believe him. Bruce doesn’t always make good decisions but intentionally breaking their bond was going too far. 

If Bruce had done that, Tim would’ve lost all the respect he had for him as an alpha and especially as a dad. He didn’t want that to happen with the man that adopted him. He loved Bruce and he didn’t want to have to choose sides between him and Dick. But as an omega who’s been in this hell hole for four months, he couldn’t help but lean more towards Dick’s side.

With that in mind, he strove to check out his allies. Therefore, he quickly questioned them; using Dick as the bargaining chip for the entire thing to which Jean and Stephanie had nothing to say about it. They both admitted they wouldn't mention the ill will they had for Dick and that it wasn’t their place to say anything. Despite them being both alpha’s, perhaps they were more level headed then Tim gave them credit for. 

Kathy was very nonchalant about the entire thing. She didn’t necessarily have to say anything bad about Dick but it’s not like she garnered sympathy either. It was mostly Bette, who had something bad to say but Kathy cut the entire conversation off real quick.

**_“Tim, this is a matter we should discuss later. We have so much riding on our plate ri-”_ **

“None of you know what the hell we’ve been through in here.” Tim harshly retorted. “More so, Dick. I just don’t want any of you to snuff him before the job is done. I will be risking my all to protect Dick and you should as well.” 

**_“Timmy, I’ve never seen you like this before.”_ ** Jason frowned with concern. **_“Did something happen to Dick?”_ **

“A lot… but some of the damage is more permanent than others.” Tim briefly regarded the way Bruce grimaced with anger.

 **_“We’re coming in to get you now,”_ ** Bruce informed him, tone laced with malice. **_“Listen for the signal.”_ **

“Got it. Oh and Bette? Don’t even think about coming to this building if you can help it, I wouldn’t want Dick’s vulnerability to make you angry.”

 **_“I swear, Brucie, you’re children have no respect for me when it comes to your little mate. Fix that, will you?”_ **Bette cut off her camera, leaving Bruce behind with an unfazed expression.

 **_“Ignore her, Timmy.”_ ** Jason smiled. **_“It’s best not to fight with a brick wall.”_ **

“I’ll try not to. I just hope that brick wall isn’t coming home with us.” Tim said as he flipped over the tablet, quickly opening the back compartment and pulling out the earpiece. He turned it on, setting it to the correct frequency before putting it in.

“Can you guys hear me?”

 **_“Loud and clear.”_ ** Answered Jason.

Tim went back to his workspace, quickly rummaging through things. Grabbing first the latest vials of the enhancer drug and a few lab result papers, folding them around the vials for safety measures. With a little bit of resistance, he tore off a piece of his shirt sleeve and tied the fabric around the paper filled vials. He stretched out the ends of the fabric, thin enough to triple knot them around his shoelace, and stood up to test out their resistance. He’d thought about this idea a week ago. He had to make use of doing things differently since these clothes didn’t have pockets. Especially since he would be running.

“So, am I collateral for you now?”

Tim didn’t have to look over his shoulder to know what Tiger meant. He’d seen the electrically charged chips strapped to his belt as soon as he walked in.

“Basically. Sorry if this messes up your mission.” Not that Tim actually cared. All he cared about was getting the fuck out of here and never looking back and… oh fuck… Cassandra...

“Guys, I forgot to mention something,” Tim said.

 _ **“Spill,”**_ Stephanie said.

“There’s a Prime Alpha here named Cassandra. She’s only seven years old.”

 **_“Seven!?”_ **Stephanie exclaimed.

“Dick’s really smitten with her. If and when you break through the security measures, I’m pretty sure he’s going after her first. He doesn’t plan on leaving her here.” Tim sighed. “I don’t know if that will make it easier or harder to find him.”

 **_“I’m all for saving the little girl but if you find him first, you should wait for us. We’ll all help. He shouldn’t act recklessly alone.”_ **Kathy warned.

Tim snorted. “Sorry to say this, guys but Dick is a very reckless person. I don’t think him being pregnant is going to stop him from doing anything.”

 **_“You say he’s smitten? Well, if they’ve developed that strong of a connection, let's just hope he doesn’t go feral. You know how they are when it comes to protecting young pups.”_ **Jason mentioned. 

Tim agreed. “Let's hope he doesn’t.”

.

.

.

“Ugh-!”

Dick slammed the alpha’s head into the wall once more before letting go of his neck, watching his face slide down the wall, leaving behind a trail of blood. This was the sixth person he’d come across so far, using the dark corners and quiet footfalls to his advantage. 

The noise of firearms blasting off, assorted voices speaking into earpieces and disorganized clutter of trips and falls made it easier to attack. The only setback was his and Cassandra’s scents stuck out like a sore thumb. For the first time in his life, he wished he was wearing one of those insufferable collars.

Dick couldn’t explain it but he felt different. His pheromones were fuller and his adrenaline was at an all-time high. He barely even recognized the feeling but he knew he was losing himself. He was angry; he was so fucking angry at everyone here. They hadn’t been brought here like him, instead, they’d come here on their own; they wanted to do this. And they drug children like Cassandra into the mix. Dick hated people like them. He hated seeing himself in them and he hated Slade for making him this way. 

Dick left the alpha’s motionless body on the ground before grabbing Cassandra’s hand and leading her through this endless maze. He’d yet to find the stairwell leading to the ground floor. He’d only been there once and hadn't really been in the right state of mind to memorize the path to the lab.

But what he _did_ come across, happened to be a bit more surprising than finding the stairwell. Dick stopped short of a door that led into another room filled with walls of empty weapon holsters. The lights lining the ceiling did little in terms of showing him which ones that weren’t empty but eventually, he found what he’d been looking for.

He brought Cassandra further inside, closing the door behind them despite not being able to lock it. The chances of someone coming in were slim, seeing as the place had already been ransacked enough. All except one… 

Of course, Slade had kept them safe. Dick wouldn’t go as far as to say that Slade kept them safe _just_ for him but rather why would he let well-crafted weapons go to waste? And those weapons just so happened to be Dick’s very own. Slade’s favorite was the katana but Dick always preferred his dual blades.

Dick dropped the kitchen knife, peering at the dual blades with a trace of growing bitterness. _Should he take them? The weapons that had been awarded to him by Slade?_ In the back of his mind, he wanted to. He couldn’t help but recall all the times Slade praised him for doing so well while handling these blades. He liked it… _fuck_ … he didn’t want to like it but he did. He fucking loved it, especially since his Alpha had them made for him; just for him…

Dick brought a hand to his temple, rubbing at the spot that ached with confusion. _Why was he doing this? Why was he trying to leave?_ His Alpha would provide him with everything here. Once Dick thought about it, he forgot to ask Slade if he was allowed to stand up from the bed. He forgot to ask if he could walk around the room, let alone outside the room. _What had he done? He was going to get in trouble. His Alpha was going to punish him._

Dick slowly bent to his knees, holding his head in his hands. “He’s going to hurt me again… I shouldn’t have left the room… Why did I do this? I’m such an idiot.”

Next to Dick, there was a small groan, smothered with worry. Soon, Cassandra was pulling on his arm and releasing soothing pheromones, trying to make the omega budge from his spot on the floor.

“Cassandra?” He looked up, not really able to make out the young alpha’s facial expression but her frustrated huffs were enough to reveal her mood. Her scent grew stronger; stronger than it had ever been before except this time, her scent smelled… significantly different from her usual one. 

It was familiar yet unfamiliar; It was close but distant and that posed a problem to Dick’s concentration. It was appeasingly pacifying and it effortlessly pulled his distress elsewhere. It wasn’t until Dick felt a small kick on the side of his belly that he snapped out of his prior concerns. “I’m sorry, Cass.” Dick shook his head, trying to focus. “I don’t… I don’t know what came over me. Thank you for that. Your scent always helps me relax.”

Cassandra blankly stared at him before shaking her head. Dick didn’t take the time to understand what she meant before looking up at the weapons case once more. Without thinking twice, he pulled open the glass door and took out his dual blades, glad that he couldn’t see a silver glint. Quickly, he stood up, holding the blades with one hand and holding Cassandra’s in the other. Before he could even take one step, someone opened the door, forcing Dick to push Cassandra behind him. “Hide under a table and close your eyes- cover your ears.”

Dick didn’t have to look down to see Cassandra doing as she was told. As soon as she was under the table, Dick caught the scent of Rose as she walked in. 

“There you are,” Rose said tremulously. “I’ve been looking for you. It's time to go. Father ordered me to bring you to the rendezvous point.”

Dick took a step back. “Still doing as he says when you can simply leave here.”

Rose took a step forward and unsheathed her sword. “No, I really can’t. I’ve been ordered to stay back and to take you by force if need be.”

“Ordered? But I thought-”

“My instincts are gone but the orders are still there."

"Rose..." Dick's voice was laden with sympathy. "I didn't know."

"It's like I said before, Talon, we’re all equals here.” Rose held up her sword in a fighting stance. “And you said it yourself, that we suffer from the same fate. Stop trying to run from it.”

“I'm sorry, Rose but I’ll never stop.”

“It’s just something you have to accept, Talon. The faster you do, the better the outco--!”

In a terrible flash, the building shook with an explosion of veracity bringing with it crumbling walls and ceilings that were soon spilling with fire. Dick bent down, holding his arms over the back of his head to protect himself, shaking in astonishment. It was hot, there was fire all around him and debris falling every which way.

Dick swiftly looked through the sheen of smoke, finding Cassandra still under the table, having thankfully missed the falling concrete. Dick knew it was Slade that blew the building up. That was his fail-proof plan if their location ever got compromised. But he would only resort to this if he’d already left the building and had gotten _everything he needed_. Everything he needed… but he and Rose were still here--

Rose screamed, causing Dick to glance over, seeing her charged forward, sword held steady. Dick was forced onto his back but he was fast enough to block Rose’s attack with his blades.

“Why me!?” Rose slammed her blade against Dick’s, anger stricken her entire expression. 

Dick struggled to hold against another strike, his arms shaking, the fire making him sweat, and his worry overflowing with distress for Cassandra’s safety.

“Rose,” Dick coughed. “Stop… it’s not worth it.”

“I've done everything he's said for years!” She screamed, tears streaking down her face. “Everything! He can't leave me here like this!”

Dick heard Cassandra cough and felt his blood boil with apprehension. “Cassandra…” He needed to get her out of here. The fire was spreading.

“My father wouldn’t kill me.”

A tear fell onto Dick’s cheek.

“He…” She trembled, her strength only growing stronger. “He wouldn’t leave me here.”

Somewhere in the back of Dick’s mind, he felt abandoned too. His Alpha abandoned him. He didn’t understand. Slade wanted Dick back for months now but he left without any sort of explanation. _What was his plan now?_

“I did everything…” Rose cried when another slab of concrete fell beside the door, blowing sparks of fire all around the room.

“Rose, we can still escape…” Dick strained to push forward only for Rose to push back. “Let's just go.”

“There is no escape!” Rose countered. “I’m still under his orders… Besides, he blew the perimeters, we’re trapped on the inside.”

“No… we’re not.” Dick coughed up. “We’re getting out of here.”

Rose shook her head, pressing forward until Dick’s swords were at his own neck. He heard a thud and knew that Cassandra had fainted. 

“Rose, please...”

“Talon, I couldn’t do it- I couldn’t live like you.” She cried with unbroken streams. “Without my father, I’m nothing.” Her one eye reflected back at Dick’s and so did his emotions. He also felt the same… he didn’t want to but… without Bruce or Slade, _what was he?_

“I’m…” Rose stared at him like she was asking for help but still, she repeated the same line, “I’m nothin--!!”

A tip of a katana glimmered off the orange flames as it showed itself slowly extruding through Rose’s chest. Blood spotted Dick’s vision as he watched Rose’s body yield to the blade, spasming as blood spilled out of her mouth. From behind her, Dick could see Tim yank out his old katana, crimson splattering on his face. Dick gasped, in light of Tim dropping the sword and his eyes rolling to the back of his head before he blacked out, falling on the ground with a hard thud. 

Rose fell to the side, sword laying on the palm of her hand as she coughed up blood. Dick quickly sat up, immediately going to Cassandra, and with great difficulty, he dragged her a short distance separating him and Tim. He huffed, smoke clouding his vision as he thought of a way to get them both out of here. It was getting harder to breathe and he had no strength left to carry anyone… Dick held Tim and Cassandra to his chest, praying for a miracle. 

“I don’t… f-feel it anymore…”

Dick looked up, blinking through the smoke to see Rose struggling to breathe.

“It’s gone…” Rose spoke in short huffs, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. “T-the orders are gone… finally gone...”

Dick’s jaw tightened, thoughts whirling a mile a minute, for he was wishing for that freedom too.

“I’m free…” She muttered. “Dick… I’m free...”

A single tear dripped down Dick’s left cheek as he watched Rose hold on to the last bit of her life.

“I’m free… I can… g-go see my mom…” Rose smiled, more blood spilling from her mouth. “Finally… I can… I can see…”

Rose's body went completely still, her eyes wide open but nothing could be seen. Her slight smile colored Dick’s soul with regrets. He tried everything he could but he wished he’d tried harder. _But honestly what was worse? Being controlled by Slade or dying and being set free?_ It was at that moment Dick discovered that the only way to escape an Alpha order _was... on the brink of death..._

“Dick!”

“Tim! They’re in here!”

This time Dick could feel the orders Slade placed on him, vanish into thin air as soon as Bruce’s scent hit his nose. _He was free… He was free too…_ Dick continued staring at Rose's lifeless body, even as he felt someone grab him from behind, he never once looked away. _He couldn’t._ Not even when he was lifted up into the arms of his mate and brought out of the room did the image of Rose leave his mind.

_That could’ve been him… That was him..._

“Don’t leave her…” Dick muttered drearily. 

_They were the same…_

“Bruce… don’t leave her,” Dick said again, his voice waning from sorrow.

_This was what Slade did. He took and took then he left a person nothing._

Dick grabbed his mate's collar, forcing Bruce to look down at him. He sighed a breath of relief, having seen his mate after so long. He and Rose were free but one had to die to get that. “Please…” Dick begged. "Please, don’t leave her behind.”

Bruce slowed his steps, his brows crinkling in confusion, trying to understand his mate. Their stare off didn’t last for long and soon Bruce’s eyes left Dick’s for a couple of seconds to talk to Jean.

“Jean,” Bruce said, already handing Dick over to the other alpha. “Get Dick out of here.”

“Where are you going!?” Seeing Bruce runoff, Jean called after him. “This place is about to collapse!”

“C’mon!” Jason called for Jean, who was already down the hall with Stephanie-- who held Cassandra. Jean reluctantly turned away and ran after Jason, making sure Bruce’s mate was secure in his arms. In no time, they made it outside, running until they were far away enough for Dick to see the entirety of the building on fire.

“Where the fuck is Bruce?” Bette walked over to Jason, frantically glancing at the building.

“Don’t worry, he’s coming,” Jason claimed with confidence, adjusting Tim in his arms and walking over to Jean. “Hey, Dickie.” He gave a warm smile to which Dick weakly returned. 

“Jason, what the hell is going on?” Bette tried again, stopping short when she saw Bruce emerge from the fiery building. “Oh, thank goodness.”

“I told you he was coming. There's no way B wouldn't make it.”

Dick made Jean put him down, his bare feet hitting the concrete as he walked towards his approaching alpha. There was something great and heroic about the way Bruce neared them, carrying with him the true killer of his dead lover. Having already passed through the threshold of the building possibly collapsing while he was inside, Bruce still went back to get her. And Dick had never been more grateful for anything else.

“Bruce,” Dick said once his alpha stopped in front of him, panting, coughing, eyes scrunched from exhaustion. Observing it all, Dick reached up and stroked his alpha’s cheek, giving a heartfelt, “Thank you, Bruce. Thank you so much.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Bruce.” Bette appeared next to her cousin, staring down at Rose’s body with contempt. “What the hell are we saving her for? I thought we were just saving one assassin? Not the whole entire family.”

“There’s nothing left to save…” Dick hovered a hand over Rose’s eyes that were void of any semblance of life and closed them, sealing the final hollows of her freedom. “...She’s dead.” Dick was blunt with his words, catching Bette off guard. Directly after, Bette shut her mouth but continued to frown, eventually turning away from the DS assassins, having no ounce of remorse for the situation.

“Bruce.” 

Everyone turned towards Gordon and Kathy walking over. “We’ve rounded up a lot of hunters- well, the ones that are still alive. Is anyone here hurt?”

Dick let the police take Rose’s body away and store it in the proper utilities until further instruction. Whether or not she deserved it, Dick was going to give her a proper funeral. That’s all he could do for her…

With Bruce’s arms now free, Dick practically threw himself at his alpha. His _True Alpha._ Something clicked in place, sending his emotions spiraling through his mind with affection. It felt like he was meeting his soulmate for the first time again. It felt like a sense of coming home, for they were two halves of the same soul finally together again.

“You’re alright now.” Bruce thumbed his cheek, his focus briefly looking at the gauze over Dick’s right eye. His brows creasing together, confliction and worry binding him to the horrible implication of what might’ve occurred. _How could he have let this happen?_

“We’re alright.” Dick brought one of Bruce’s hands to his belly before nuzzling his alpha’s neck, trying to savor as much scent as he could get. For now, he could get over the smell of fire and soot and settle for a blanketed scent of Bruce’s marvelous pheromones.

“Bruce.” Gordon caught the other alpha’s attention but not Dick’s. Dick wouldn’t dare turn away from his alpha now. Not when he was immersing himself in pure bliss. He purposely shut down the outside world and focused only on Bruce. 

“Some of my men chased Slade and his son across the bridge and down central but... he got away. We're still looking for him.”

Dick whimpered softly, clinging to Bruce's chest, having lost all of his energy upon hearing Slade had escaped. _Both him and Joey had gotten away._

“Thanks, Gordon,” Bruce replied, holding Dick closer.

“No problem. I’m just glad everyone's alright.”

“We should wrap things up before the public catches word of this,” Kathy said, looking around at the damage they'd done. Soon, her focus settled on Tim and Cassandra, who were still blacked out. Then to Bruce, who'd yet to look away from his mate. His mood seemed to mellow out, his expression soft with relief, and Kathy could honestly say she'd never seen him wear that expression before... _not even with Selina._

“Let's go home,” Bruce announced with a warm smile while holding Dick close and promising to never let him go again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have no idea why I’ve been writing ‘Baby’ instead of ‘Pup’ like how did I miss that? 😩 Well, I’m going to go back to fix it then I'll start saying ‘pup’ from now on.


	38. Moody Times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will correct mistakes later.

~*3 Weeks Later*~

Dick checked the mirror after washing his face but only for a few seconds before quickly moving to put his face towel on the rack. Thereafter, he changed into Bruce’s hoodie and his own pair of shorts, humming a familiar tune coming from the movie playing on the bedroom TV. And as inevitable as it was, Dick’s eyes wandered back to the sink, skimming over the skin creams, toothpaste, and hairbrushes before finally landing on the one thing he wanted to avoid the most.

The eye patch sat there, idly waiting to be used by someone who was reluctant to do so.

Internally sighing, Dick took a step forward, imagining he was hanging from a high-rise and the only way he could be saved from certain death, was by yielding in acceptance. Dick had not yet yielded to accepting anything except for the fact that he hated the damn thing. He hated it more than he hated looking at himself in the mirror but in the end, he couldn’t avoid any of those things.

Dick didn't want to wear it because of his resemblance to someone else. Alas, he _had_ to wear it because he didn’t want anyone else to see his imperfections. And he _had_ to look into the mirror because he strove to cover up the patch with his long bangs as much as he could. As futile as the task was, Dick could spend about thirty minutes in the mirror doing it just to spite himself seconds later when his hair would move out of place anyway. This time, he let it be and forced himself to stop just when he heard Bruce’s text tone go off. Dick looked down at the sink--where the alpha left his cell--and picked it up, easily typing in the password.

[Kat]: “ _Are you sure you don’t want these pics anymore? The ones Alfred gave me, added to the pile by A LOT. If not, I’ll keep them with me, as planned, but I’m asking to make sure because I know you were a bit emotional after we visited Selina’s grave. Lmk.”_

Dick frowned at the text, not taking any time to dig further into the context of Bruce going to Selina’s grave, before irately texting back.

[Dick]: “ _Bruce doesn’t need any of her pictures. Please don’t ask again.”_

Dick took a deep breath, watching the ‘read’ symbol pop up before Kathy quickly responded.

[Kat] “ _Dick? I see the trust he has for you is over the top. Will do. I won’t mention it anymore.”_

Dick almost replied again but then he heard the bedroom door open, meaning Bruce had come back in. Dick abandoned the means to double-check his hair before leaving the bathroom to see his alpha. He found Bruce pulling at the end of his charger port, sighing softly when he didn’t find the phone he was looking for.

“Dick,” Bruce turned around. “Have you seen my-”

“Here.” Dick held up Bruce’s phone.

“Thanks.”

“Sure thing.” A shuffle from the bed distracted Dick only to discover Cassandra laying on the bed with her elbows propping up the two palms framing her face. It was her go-to position when she was concentrating solely on the flatscreen and ignoring everything else around her. Since the very first time Bruce turned on the TV, the young alpha couldn’t take her eyes away. 

She sat there entranced by the colorful flickering images and the lively voices of whatever inanimate object they decided to put a face on. Today, it was Cars, as was yesterday, and the day before that _and_ the day before that. She’d already become an expert on knowing how the remote control works and took to starting over the movie whenever she could. Despite Dick not wanting her to watch television all the time, as of right now, he didn’t want to take away something she’d never had before. 

In addition to Cassandra’s cartoon fascination, she’d also taken to sleeping next to Dick every night. No matter how many times Dick tried to get her to sleep in her own bed, she would eventually leave her bed and come looking for Dick. It’s a good thing Bruce didn’t necessarily mind, for as long as she was comfortable and got a good night's rest, he didn’t question it. It was on days like this that Dick realized what raising a child brought forth. Particularly with Alfred in the house who insisted on giving him advice about the issue of Cassandra’s ‘sleeping arrangements.’ Ultimately, Dick didn’t make a big deal out of it and just let it happen. To be frank, he was just a big softy when it came to Cassandra. 

Still, there was one thing he and the butler could agree on and that was teaching the young alpha how to talk. Provided by Alfred’s ESL professorship, maybe some speech therapy, and Tim teaching her sign language to bide the time, perhaps they could get somewhere in the long run. Cassandra deserved the best and as long as Dick had anything to say about, that’s what she would be getting. 

Dick’s leniency towards her doubled after Bruce stumbled upon some rather… repulsive information about Cassandra’s family. It would seem that in hopes she would present as a Prime Alpha, her parents limited her contact with the outside world and subdued her from learning any sort of means of communication. It was so she would remain pliant when it came to selling her around. From what Bruce found, she was sold a total of three times from the time she was five years old. For experiments and studies, all of which failed to find anything until they eventually returned her back to her father, prior to DS getting a hold of her.

Dick wasn’t supposed to be stressed during his pregnancy, especially since he’d just reached 6 months. But on that day, he gave Bruce hell for not doing something about these other criminal organizations that practiced doing human experiments after he found out about Rex. The argument was at best unreasonable because of course there was no sure way that Rex was even connected to these groups and so the Clan had no way of knowing about it. Dick was just so angry at that time, he didn’t know what to do with it. (It was getting harder to hold his anger back as of late). Later on, Dick apologized for his implausible outburst and they settled on an agreement of looking into these groups later on. Preferably, when Dick wasn’t pregnant.

“Dick.”

“Mm?” Dick had to look up slightly when Bruce moved towards him.

“I’ve set up both your eye appointment and prenatal appointment for next week.”

“I remember.” The appointment was the day after his birthday. Since the Surge Suppressor was recalled, the hospitals have been filling up like crazy and it was hard to get an appointment. Dick had already been to the hospital right after he was rescued and that’s where he received a temporary eye patch and pain medication. Dr. Dundee recommended he go to an eye doctor to figure out why his left eye was so blurry. He also did an ultrasound and said that he found nothing unusual but for some reason, he couldn’t tell them the gender. 

To Dick, Dr. Dundee acted a bit strange when he was performing the ultrasound but he was too tired to question it. All he wanted to do was go home, take a nice hot shower and snuggle up next to his alpha. The doctor agreed with the prospect of setting up a later appointment date once things have settled down. 

Quite frankly, Dick was a little afraid to see what the doctor had to say or maybe he was just afraid to know the gender. It meant that he was getting closer and closer to giving birth. And from what he’d read online, it was not going to be comfortable.

"I’m leaving now,” Bruce said.

Dick’s expression dulled. “Now?” 

“I’m already late.”

Dick sighed. “I’ll walk you down then.” He looked over at the young alpha. “Cass, stay right here, I’ll be right back.” 

She briefly peered at Dick before quickly looking back at the TV with no sort of agreement in sight.

Dick shook his head and tried not to sigh as he let Bruce lead him out of the room. “Look at what you did, Bruce.”

“It’s fine, she’ll grow out of it.” 

“I’m not so sure about that,” Dick claimed, turning to the right to walk towards the stairs only for Bruce to grab his wrist.

“Elevator.”

“Bruce,” Dick rolled his eyes. “I’m okay, really.” 

Despite complaining, Dick yielded to Bruce’s safeguarding which had skyrocketed since he’d returned. It was the true definition of protective alpha mode towards their pregnant mate. Bruce had been waiting on him, hand and foot, even more so than when he was on his preheat. And honestly, Dick kind of liked it. Tim said the endearment wouldn’t last long and Dick would eventually grow annoyed of Bruce’s antics but for now, Dick had no such thoughts- he liked being spoiled.

"I won't have you walking down the stairs."

Dick let Bruce guide him to the elevator with a hand on his lower back. Dick took this calm opportunity to loop their arms together and to lay his head on Bruce’s shoulder, wanting to feel more of his alpha’s emotions. It was weird not being able to feel his emotions as strongly as before. Not even when he was this close would it reach the same level as when they were bonded.

When they were settled on the elevator, for a few moments, there was nothing but Bruce's soothing lips brushing against Dick’s temple and the steady of Bruce’s heartbeat thumping against Dick’s ear. It was during times like this that Dick noted their height difference and how companionable it was for situations like this. One simple tip of Dick’s head and their lips were touching softly and leisurely caressing each other's cravings. And in the midst of this, the omega found himself shivering at the welcome massage of Bruce’s large hand on his stomach. Dick’s hand would always follow, eventually lacing their fingers together as their scents naturally mingled. Comforting and content, for this was home and finally Dick was allowed to dissolve.

The ding from the elevator pulled them apart with Dick quickly licking his lips and Bruce swiping a thumb across his own. Dick drew in a deep breath once they were past the threshold and walking down the hallway.

“Can you bring home food again tonight?” Dick asked, turning just enough to see Bruce adjusting the lapels of his jacket.

“What did you want?”

“A Salisbury steak from that restaurant you went to the last time.”

“Alright.” Bruce easily agreed.

“Are you sure Cassandra will grow out of it?” Dick wondered, hoping Bruce could give him some insight. 

“Tim and Jason did.” Dick didn’t fully believe him but Bruce continued to reassure him all the way to the living room. There, they found Jason laid out on the couch playing video games and Tim sitting on the window seat, doing something on his laptop.

“Boys, I’m leaving for work,” Bruce informed his sons with a small smile.

“Yeah,” Tim murmured halfheartedly.

“Cool.” Jason waved him off.

Dick gave Bruce a knowing look. “Point taken. Instead of a TV addiction, she’ll grow to have a gaming and computer obsession.” 

“I guess we’ll have to work on that.” Bruce gave his sons one last look before heading towards the garage. 

“I’m glad though.”

“Glad?”

“That you took her in.” Dick looked up at Bruce with a pleasing smile. “We haven’t fully adopted her but, I think I want to soon. When do you think we can?”

“Well, we’ll need plenty of documents that will need to be approved.”

“As expected.” All of which Dick didn’t have. They’d talked about this before, about Dick needing to get his license and other documentation that came with living a simple life. Plenty of hard stuff and one of those documents pertained to something else Dick had been thinking about as of late...

“In order for her to be under both of our names as parents we’ll need to…” Bruce continued, modestly clearing his throat. “Need to get married.”

_That was it… to get married…_

“Oh…” A flush crept up Dick’s face and he awkwardly tucked a piece of hair behind his ear. “That... makes sense.”

“Bruce! Did you leav-” Tim stopped mid-step, seeing Bruce turn the garage lights on, showcasing a line of luxury cars and a few other useless amenities. “Oh, you’re still here.”

Dick cocked his head. “Are you going to give him a proper goodbye, now?”

“Um…” Tim folded his arms. “No, not really. I was just wondering when that next doctor's appointment was.”

“Next one?” Bruce grew stiff with concern. “You need to see a doctor? Are you feeling unwell? Have you been taking your iron supplements?”

“Bruce, calm down.” Tim bashfully rubbed his arms, looking down at the fading bruises on his arm. Though they were healing, he’d lost a lot of blood and had been put on an extensive diet of iron intake. He was a little uncomfortable receiving this type of attention, primarily from Bruce, who was known for his irrational worrying.

Tim didn’t like unnecessary attention but he’d gotten loads of it when he woke up in the hospital. He could almost die from the memory of all of them finding out what happened to him. It was also there where he found Jason’s expression to be unusual. It was more than Bruce’s worry, or Dick’s distress, it was innate with anger. And in the end, Jason chose to leave the room because of it. When he did return, however, Bruce and Dick were in another room and Jason was free to say whatever he wanted.

_“This is all my fault. I coul- we could’ve lost you, Timmy.”_

_“I’m alive, aren’t I?”_

_Jason frowned. “That’s not the point.”_

_“You didn’t lose me, Jay,” Tim argued. “Don’t do what Bruce does and blame yourself for everything. That’s not you.”_

_Jason huffed a bitter laugh. “You really don’t know me as well as you thought you did…”_

_"Jay its-"_

_"I'm not letting this happen again... This is never going to happen again.” Jason’s stare was as severe as it could get and Tim was a little taken back._

Tim didn't know what to say to Jason after that because he’d never seen the alpha that serious before. Regardless of how flattered he was feeling, he knew Jason’s anger meant nothing more than what his Alpha instinctively desired- and that was to protect an unmated omega. 

“I didn't mean for me. I meant for Dick.” Tim corrected, putting his arms behind his back.

“It’s next week and I can’t wait.” Dick grinned. “We finally get to see the gender.”

“Sounds exciting.” Tim gave a tiny smile, “Is it okay if I come along with you guys?”

“I’m fine with it.” Dick peered at Bruce, seeing him agree. “We’ll have Jay watch Cassandra.”

“Putting shit on me again?” Jay appeared around the corner, holding Cassandra on his hip. “Look at who I saw trying to come down the stairs.”

“Cass, I thought I told you to stay put.” He lightly scolded her and completely changed his tone to scold the other alpha. “And Jay, don’t curse around her.”

“What? It’s not like she’s ever going to say it.”

“Okay, that's enough out of you, you insensitive jerk.” Tim started pushing Jason out of the room. “Let’s go make breakfast.”

Dick reeled, giving Bruce another knowing look. “So when exactly did you start allowing Jason to curse?”

“When he graduated high school,” Bruce confirmed as if it was something understandable.

“As if that makes it any better. When Cassandra _does_ start talking, I don’t want her to have Jason’s foul mouth.” Dick said, his eyes steely with seriousness.

“Alright, pretty bird, I’ll talk to him.” Bruce drew nearer, bringing Dick closer by the hips until the curve of his belly touched the flat of his own. “They’ll be repercussions starting from now on.”

“That’s better than nothing but try not to mention my name when you do talk to him. I’d like to avoid being called ‘mommy’ at all costs.” Bruce chuckled, and Dick smiled resting his hands on the alpha’s shoulders. “Do you really have to leave?” 

Bruce was met with a beautiful sight; a delightful pout that made it hard for the alpha to avoid, especially now. He’d seen other pregnant omega’s before but none of them could compare to _his_ omega. With his clear glowing skin; his hair shiny and thick; his eyes bluer than usual, Bruce could barely keep his hands to himself. Nevertheless, he made sure to hold back, for it hadn’t been that long since Dick was rescued from captivity. Besides that, Bruce didn’t plan on going any further until he told Dick about his previous doubts. His omega deserved to know everything even at the risk of Bruce ruining their relationship even further.

Bruce settled for bringing an arm around the arch of Dick’s back and leaning down to kiss his forehead. “Don’t make that face, pretty bird. I’ll be home by five.” 

“Four.” Dick tried, casually playing with the knot of Bruce’s tie.

Bruce sighed, easily giving in. “I’ll be home by four.”

“Three?” Dick tried again.

“Now you’re pushing it. I can't leave Lucius with everything.”

“Mm,” It didn’t take long to consider the business manager’s position in all of this. “You’re right.”

Bruce gave the omega a parting kiss, pulling back and letting his hand gently caress Dick’s cheek- right underneath his eye patch. Dick flinched but he quickly recovered and moved away. “See you at four.”

Bruce, as Dick expected, had that look on his face. A countenance that displayed his concern and his right to question but he didn’t; instead, he said, “I’ll see you at four.” 

Dick gave his alpha small smile and watched him trudge towards his BMW.

“Oh and Dick?” Bruce said and Dick knew what was coming after seeing the gravity of his expression. “I want you to let me know if you start panicking again. Call me immediately. I’ll drop whatever I’m doing to--”

“Okay, Bruce. I got it.” Dick cut him off and gave a thumbs up. “See ya later.” He made a hasty exit, not staying long enough to watch Bruce get into the car and drive away. 

One thing that Dick was still finding hard to deal with was facing his mental health issues head-on. He still had a tendency to ignore them while Bruce was being more open about it since the entire family had witnessed his little panic episode almost two weeks ago. In all honesty, he felt a little bad about ending the conversation the way he did. This was his alpha’s first day leaving Dick’s side in three weeks and even though they were no longer bonded, it still felt wrong when they were apart. Nonetheless, the good thing was that they’d finally gotten in the clear to go out.

They had yet to go shopping only because they were trying to keep a low profile. It was upon the Commissioner's request that they stay on the safe side and remain at home until Gordon got back to them. At best, it was a logical request and gave the family more time to take it easy and unwind.

It was no longer Slade who was pursuing them, it was now them, pursuing him. Slade and Joey had run away and gone into hiding. His entire operation had been shut down with almost three hundred hunters arrested, a little more than fifty killed, and less than twenty had escaped. Unfortunately, Slade’s last-minute decision to blow up the hideout left nothing to collect for evidence about DS’s connections to other groups. Still, they wouldn’t stop looking into things; particularly, on all those who received the dynamic-less drug. 

The hunters in custody were mostly Omegas who were still under orders to not speak about the clan while the few Betas and Alphas they caught, chose to stay quiet about everything. There was actually an entire debate going on about the Omega hunters and their complete control of the situation. _Were they all there by their own will or were they ordered to do these things like Dick was?_

Out of spite, Dick downplayed all of their credentials to being innocent and told the Commissioner they all chose to be there for different reasons. _They had to be._ Slade liked playing with the victims who betrayed him. He was always waiting for someone to do it, meaning that they weren’t fully controlled Dick was. Dick was never supposed to betray him and if he’d never met Bruce, he wouldn’t have even gotten the chance to betray him in the first place. In all fairness though, Dick couldn’t determine all of the hunter’s innocence even if he could. At the end of the day, he was just a victim looking to get away from the entire ordeal.

Currently, his mind was finding a preference for going to the kitchen- preferably the fridge and the pantry. He stalked towards said place, momentarily greeting all who occupied it.

“Hi, again,” Tim greeted, flinching when the waffles popped up from the toaster.

“Two weeks of you waking up before 10 a.m. I’m impressed.” Jason chuckled while turning on the kitchen TV that was mounted to the wall above an empty counter. 

“I kinda hope it stays this way,” Dick said. “It feels like I have the whole day ahead of me.” 

Tim brought a ready-made plate over to Cassandra with syrup already on the waffles. “Thank you?” Tim signed, watching Cassandra slowly and hesitantly mimic his sign. For once, he was actually thankful that his required highschool elective language classes were worth something.

“Good job, Cass.” Dick cheered, walking over to kiss her cheek. “You’re such a smart girl.” 

Cassandra smiled, grabbing the plastic fork Dick handed to her, and began eating.

“That’s what we told you that one time you complained about the day ending too fast,” Tim said, pouring syrup on his own plate of waffles. “Surprise surprise, seeing as you woke up past 1 p.m that day.” 

“And the entire month after that,” Jason added.

“It wasn’t for a month,” Dick argued as he walked into the pantry, bringing out a jar of peanut butter. 

Jason snorted. “Okay, four weeks, then. Does that make it sound better?”

Dick rolled his eyes and made his way over to the fridge. “Okay, it was for a month.” He finally agreed.

“It’s a good thing we’re going shopping today,” Tim mentioned softly, pulling the ends of Dick’s shorts which were just barely below the cuff of his ass.

“Tim,” Dick complained, slapping the other omega’s hand away.

“If these shorts get any tighter, I’m afraid they’ll rip.”

Dick scoffed, but he was smiling, just a little. “Agree to disagree. These have always been this short.”

“Agree to disagree. You’re just embarrassed by your weight gain.” Dick didn’t hesitate to slap Tim on the back of the head, receiving a well-deserved hiss in pain. “Okay, I’ll stop now.” Tim quickly moved away and went back to eating his waffles.

Dick grabbed a jar of pickles from the fridge then went to stand at the end of the counter, close to Cassandra. He reached into the box of plastic spoons and opened the peanut butter, dipping the spoon right in just when Tim received a text.

“Is that Bruce?” Dick questioned upon feeling his phone vibrate in his jacket pocket. They created a family group chat about two days ago when Bruce decided to go back to work so they wouldn’t have to contact everyone separately. It was more along the lines of Bruce checking in and making sure they all did their ‘jobs’ for the day.

“He said to keep a close watch on Dick then for me to eat at least four pieces of bacon- feed Cass two. And eat eggs. _And_ for me to take a nap before we go out.” Tim sighed as he wandered back to the fridge in search of bacon. “Stupid diet plan.” He muttered grimly.

“Tim, you have anemia,” Dick stated. “Both you and Cassandra do but yours is worse. Bruce is just looking out for you.”

“I know…”

“Stop complaining, Timmy. Give it here, I’ll cook it for you.” The offer from Jason didn’t surprise Dick in the slightest. Since Tim had been home, he’d been helping him as much as Bruce had been helping Dick. It was definitely an Alpha thing.

“Thanks,” Tim murmured, failing to move past Jason without looking somewhat awkward and flushed.

From afar, Dick snorted and Tim sent him the deadliest of any death stare he’d ever received. It soon disappeared, once Tim saw Dick spreading peanut butter on a pickle. “Really, Dick?”

“What?” Dick indifferently bit into the pickle.

“Ugh. Disgusting.”

Dick shrugged, chewing enthusiastically.

“He texted me too,” Jason said from the stove. “Stop cursing or no more allowance. What the fuck?”

“Jason,” Dick warned, briefly glancing at Cassandra who was focusing on the cartoons playing on TV.

“How about this,” Jason began typing, speaking allowed. “You give me _more_ allowance and _then_ I’ll stop cursing.”

“Good idea,” Tim said. “Except this was obviously Dick’s idea and in Bruce’s mind, whatever mommy says, goes.”

“I’m one second away from hitting you again, Tim.” Dick threatened.

“So aggressive,” Tim muttered as he scrambled to the other side of the counter just in case.

“Call me mommy all you want, but I’m serious. _No.Cursing.”_

“Deal,” Jason said as he plopped six pieces of bacon on the square frying pan. “The first person who curses before the pup is born has to cook dinner and clean the house for two months,” Jason announced.

“Sounds good to me.” Tim readily agreed. “Considering the only person who doesn’t know how to cook is Dick.”

“So you’re saying I’m going to lose?” Dick sighed.

“I’m guessing you forgot Alfred is taking some time off next year,” Jason claimed. “That means no butler and no maids. That’s when Bruce forces all of us to take over the chores.”

Dick scoffed. “And you should have learned humility during those times but somehow you two have none at all.”

“So, do we have a bet?” Jason asked, brow quirked.

“It’s a bet. A very childish bet, but I’m in as long as it gets you guys to stop cursing.” Dick confirmed, spreading more peanut butter on his pickle as he caught wind of the Gotham news channel theme. He looked up, seeing the words ‘Breaking News’ flash on the screen.

_“By request of the FDA, the Surge Suppressor has been recalled. If you have taken it in the last four months and are now having weird symptoms, we encourage you to call your doctor and wait for further instruction.”_

“They’re even playing this on the kid’s channels?” Jason inquired, slowly moving away from the popping grease.

“Well, _it is_ a national emergency,” Tim replied.

“Good thing it’s not international,” Jason said. “Then Bruce would be catching more flack than he is now. It doesn’t make any sense. That deal happened when B wasn’t even born.” Jason tsked. “Thanks, great-grandpa.”

“For us, he would be our great-great grandpa.” Tim corrected, retrieving the remote control to change the channel.

“Honestly though,” Jason faced the stove, saying suddenly. “Do you think… Selina knew about this?”

Dick’s chewing slowed.

Tim turned on another kid’s channel, frowning a bit. “Why do you say that?”

Jason shrugged. “It’s just something that’s been on my mind ever since we left Rex’s place. I asked Bruce if we should check Selina’s old room too but he said there was no need for it. I actually have half a mind to go back there and see for myself.”

“You could if you wanted. The commissioner is still investigating things there. I’m sure he will allow you access.”

“I don’t know about that,” Jason muttered. “If Bruce isn’t there, Gordon would probably ask why.”

Tim nodded in agreeance, leaning his elbows on the counter. “But on a more serious note. Why would Selina be involved in any of this? She and Bruce have known each other since they were kids. They were engaged. They were-”

“You've got Slade out there manipulating his children.” Jason met Tim with a speculative stare. “Who says Rex didn’t do the same thing?”

Dick quietly picked at his food, trying and failing to drown out the conversation. Like a knife threatening to pierce through Dick’s skin, degrading Selina’s name sat dangerously on his tongue, for it was hard to ignore the intended message. 

_He wished what Jason said was true._

How bitter of a person did he have to be to wish such a thing? The more he rejected the idea of Selina having been in Bruce’s life at all, the more he found himself becoming spiteful. In some sick and twisted sense that Dick tried to keep in the back of his mind, he was glad she was dead. 

Despite Bruce having not fully gotten over her, not once since Dick had returned had his alpha brought up the video. He couldn’t gauge whether that was a good thing or a bad thing but from what he could tell, Bruce wasn’t acting any differently towards him. If anything, it was the complete opposite. Bruce was very attentive to his needs, more so than he’d ever been. Besides spoiling him, Bruce listened and appraised Dick’s opinions and answered any question he had. He’d learned more about Bruce in the last three weeks then he had in the first six months he’d been here. And Bruce hadn't pressured Dick into going back to therapy; that decision was his own.

The only major thing that had changed, since he’d been away, was the state of the master bedroom. Right now, it wasn’t so much a room as it was a construction site. Bruce had gone and hired someone to remove all the furniture, strip the walls of its paint, and rip out the cabinets, shelves, and countertops from the bathroom and closet. The reason being that Bruce wanted to remodel the entire area and start afresh. 

_Afresh… What did Bruce mean by that?_

If Bruce stayed true to the meaning of the word, then it said a lot in terms about the bedroom they’d been sleeping in before. Dick felt sick once he thought about it… Selina was everywhere in this damn house and so integrated into Bruce’s everyday life that he went as far as to remodel his entire bedroom. They were now subjected to sleeping in the room next door until further notice. But to hell with Bruce for thinking that Dick wasn’t going to take advantage of the situation. Bruce hadn’t given him free rein over the design choices but that’s because Dick hadn’t asked about it yet. Once he did, Dick was going to make it their bedroom by his own embellishment.

As of right now, Dick felt as though he didn’t have to say sorry about what happened in that video. It wasn’t his fault. Sure, the video in itself was tragic and Selina should’ve never died that way but Dick wasn’t going to give in to the guilt like he did before. It’s because he was now in an environment where he could think clearly. And the only person who could bring up this entire situation was Bruce. And whenever Bruce did, Dick knew he wasn’t going to enjoy it. He was just so damn tired of hearing about Selina, so much so, he wanted something to be wrong with her. 

“Sorry, Dick.” Tim spluttered, having seen Dick go quiet. “If that bothered yo--”

“How about we all go check it out?” Dick interrupted, casually pulling another pickle from the jar.

Both Jason and Tim stared at him with shock. “You mean the Selina thing?” Tim questioned.

“I don’t think the Commissioner will question you two if I go with you. We’ll go on the day's Bruce has work. Does that sound like a plan?”

Tim and Jason quickly exchanged looks. “Sounds like a plan,” Jason responded.

“Good.” Dick offered up an icy smile. “I can’t wait.”

~*~

“There we are, Master Tim.”

“Thanks, Alfred.”

Jason looked up from his place on Tim’s bed, seeing Alfred wave out the dark cape, littering the ground with tufts of hair. Then Jason slid his sight over to Tim who was dusting the excess hairs off his shoulders. Jason couldn’t help it if his eyes started trailing up the back of the newly exposed narrow and lengthy space of Tim’s neck. As Tim stepped in front of the dresser mirror, Jason’s focus was naturally drawn to his brother's expression. His dark brows were graceful with a furrow while he studied his appearance in the mirror; his eyes squinted as he blew his left bang to the side.

“It’s your turn now, Miss Cassandra,” Alfred announced.

Tim turned away from the mirror and lifted the young alpha into the chair with Tim’s t-shirt threatened to fall off her shoulders once she was seated. The omega sighed as he tied the back of her shirt into a knot once again. He couldn’t wait to go shopping today, mostly for Cassandra to get some proper clothing.

Shortly after, Tim stood in front of the mirror once more and this time around he decided to look at his bed. As soon as he caught Jason staring, his scent changed. Of course, the blush that accompanied it was a dead give-away but with a nonchalant gaze and a weak smile, Tim managed to look away without being awkward. But then Tim found himself peering through the mirror again, this time their eyes marrying one another for a second longer than the first time. And when Jason decided to stand up, Tim returned his gaze to his own reflection, trying somehow to play this staring contest off as an accident.

If it were an accident or not one at all, Jason wouldn’t know because when Tim took a brief pause to look over his shoulders, their eyes connected once more. Studying and winning the attention Tim knew Jason was giving him. It was for that split of a second when the alpha felt hyper-focused on his little brother’s every move. It was like a strange gravitation and if Jason were brave enough to enter the depths of Tim’s pointed stares, maybe he’d discover something new. Or maybe he might fuck himself over with unwanted trouble.

“It makes you look older,” Jason said once he took the chance to move nearer, scenting the only pheromones that his nostrils would allow. He moved close enough to where his chest hit Tim’s back; close enough to feel Tim go stiff.

"Older? Really?” Tim studied himself in the mirror. “I guess my jawline looks a bit sharper. Is looking older a bad thing?”

“No, I’m saying the cut looks good on you, Timmy.” Jason chuckled, inching back to touch Tim’s hair, watching the ends fail to straighten out and curl upwards once again. 

“Oh…” Tim grinned. “Thanks…”

_“Tim!”_

Tim sighed after hearing Dick call for him. _Of all the times it had to be now? Dick was going to pay for this._ But who was he kidding? Jason was always this touchy. Plus, Alfred and Cassandra were in the room so he was getting his hopes up for nothing.

“Needy omega.” Jason chuckled, and Tim’s misfortune moved away and made his way back to the bed.

“More like a needy pregnant omega.” Tim retorted, truly annoyed.

_“Tim, come here!”_

“Duty calls,” Tim murmured before making his way across the hallway. “Dick, this had better be good.” 

“I can’t…” Dick faced him with tears in his eyes, his hands struggling to tug the zipper. “I can’t fit my pants.”

Tim forced himself not to snort, keeping a straight face as he sauntered closer. He really tried to hold back a laugh even after he handed Dick a tissue to wipe away his hormonal crocodile tears. Tim _genuinely_ tried… so fucking hard but in the end, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing. 

“Tim,” Dick whined. “This isn’t funny.”

“I’m-I’m sorry,” Tim spoke through cackles. “I can’t- give me a second.”

“Tim!”

“Okay, okay.” Tim attempted to stop laughing, only to laugh louder, holding his stomach when it started to ache. During his nonstop laughter, he completely missed the way Dick’s brows twitch into a frown.

.

.

.

Dick walked out of the dressing room, dropping another set of clothes into Jason’s arms.

“Is it okay if I wear these out of the store?” Dick asked the store clerk.

“Sure.” The teenager replied dully before, looking over at Jason. “Will you be taking those too?”

“Yes. And… all those over there.” Dick pointed to Tim holding a bulk load of clothes that was practically toppling him off the dressing room bench.

“Right this way.” The clerk said, leading them to check out.

“Make sure not to drop any of those clothes, Tim,” Dick warned.

“...Yup, I know.” _That’s it..._ Tim couldn’t take it anymore. He was so tired of Dick bossing him around- as he had been doing all day. And it’s not like Tim could say ‘no’ either because then Dick would call Bruce and complain to him like some spoiled princess. 

“This is your own fault, you know.” Jason thoughtfully grabbed a few clothes from the pile in Tim’s arms. “I heard your laugh all the way from my room.”

“Ugh… I hope he never gets pregnant again.” Tim stood up, keeping a grip on the bag handles, filled with more clothes (previously purchased from other stores) as he balanced the new pile. “You do one thing he doesn’t like and he takes it out on you for the rest of the day. If you say he can’t do something then he’s mad at you for the rest of the day. He cries and complains all the time, and I just… I just can’t take it anymore.” 

Jason snorted. “I don’t know if you knew this about Dick, but he holds grudges like a bitc- bad person.” 

“Nice save. You almost lost the bet there.” Tim concluded but stopped talking altogether once he made it to the register and dumped everything on the counter. He huffed and took a step back, watching as the clerk quickly and expertly scanned the tags.

“Jay, do I look okay in this?” Dick asked as they waited, pulling at his black flowy tunic. 

A bit startled, Jason quickly answered, afraid he would become Dick’s next victim. “You look fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Dickie, you look good. I promise.” Jason added for extra measure. Whether Dick was aware of it or not, he wouldn’t believe anyone unless he had that additional confirmation. No matter how many times anyone in the house avoided it, Dick would seek for it until he got it. 

“I think we had a good shopping trip today.” Dick thought back to the first outfit he bought Cassandra and that she was currently wearing. A long sleeve pink shirt with a poofy little black skirt and pink shoes to match. “I picked out some good clothes, especially for Cassandra. I hope that means we don’t need your friend’s help anymore.”

“Too late. Stephanie’s already waiting for us at City Desserts.” Jason confirmed.

Dick sighed and nodded, handing the clerk his debit card, while thinking back to how Stephanie came into the picture. Jason claimed Cassandra needed a girl role model. Just like he and Tim had connected due to their dynamics, he thought it would be good for her to connect with another female Alpha. Despite Dick not liking any of the clan members at the moment, he eventually agreed. Only in accordance to Tim and Jason staying with her the entire time while Dick took a load off his throbbing feet, by going to the Wayne Tower and riding home with Bruce.

“Where’s Cassandra?” Dick looked around the store, feeling his heartbeat speedup when he didn’t immediately spot her.

“I thought she was with you?” Tim asked, looking around as well.

Dick huffed. “I left her with you Tim, so I could go try on clothes!” 

“What? No, you didn’t.”

Dick huffed and pushed past Tim, and trudged off in search for Cassandra. Jason quickly grabbed their things from the clerk and followed after.

“You idiots. I swear if you lost my pup there is going to be hell to pay.” Dick frantically trekked forward, stopping to check every aisle with Jason right on his heels and Tim lagging behind with heavy bags. 

“Dick, you really didn’t tell me to watch her.” Tim insisted once more because he knew Dick was wrong. “And I couldn’t even watch her even if I wanted to with you constantly pilling clothes on me.”

“Shut up, Tim.” Dick said before calling out, “Cassandra!”

Tim sighed irritably, not wanting to argue any further with Dick but carrying the heavy ten-plus shopping bags made it harder for him to remain calm. Thankfully, it didn’t take long to find the young alpha who was outside in front of a pet store just next door.

“Cass!” Dick strolled over, taking Cassandra’s hand and scolding her. “Don’t you run away from me like that again. You don’t leave my side. Do you understand?”

Cassandra simply nodded but seemed to be set on showing Dick something she’d seen through the window. There was a clear showcase with small kittens scattered around inside.

“You want a kitty?”

Cassandra nodded, pulling Dick closer to the window.

Dick smiled, giving in. “Which one do you want?”

“Wait, hold up.” Jason jumped in. “We’re not getting a cat.”

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea,” Dick said softly, giving Cassandra his attention once more. “You want the black kitty?”

Cassandra nodded, smiling happily, and with that, Dick led them into the store.

“We can’t get a cat.” Jason sought to ignore the sad pout Cassandra gave him.

Dick frowned. “Give me one good reason why?”

“Bruce is…” Jason stammered. “Scared of cats.”

Dick gave Jason an unsympathetic look.

“Bruce has allergies,” Jason corrected.

“You’re lying.” DIck turned to Cassandra, a sweet smile returning. “We’re getting Cass a kitty.”

“You can’t just get a pet without telling Bruce,” Tim argued just to spite Dick for not believing him earlier. 

“Then tell him,” Dick said confidently before walking off with Cassandra to find a store clerk.

Tim sighed, dropping the bags on the ground in one go and sighing harder when a few of them spilled over onto the ground. “Just call, Bruce.” He told Jason, looking up just in time to see the alpha already pressing the phone to his ear. With reluctance, Tim crouched down to straighten out the bags while Jason rambled on to Bruce.

“Dick wants the cat because Cass wants the cat.”

 _“Cass? Dick?”_ Jason could practically see the man's dog ears perking up with excitement at the mention of Dick’s name. _“Well then get the cat.”_

“Who the hell is going to take care of it? Cass sure isn’t old enough.” Jason mentioned, knowing that the responsibilities would inevitably be put on them.

_“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”_

“Fuc-- forget this, I’m moving out. That means I will need access to my trust fund.”

 _“Not until you graduate and become a respectable working man.”_ Bruce lectured. _“Next time, don’t call unless it’s important.”_

“So Dick can just do anything he wants?” Jason already knew the answer, especially now since Dick was over the top moody. He swore Bruce was just doing this so he too could avoid getting on Dick’s bad side.

 _“Exactly. I’ll see you, boys, at home.”_ Bruce hung up, leaving Jason to sigh exhaustedly. 

“So we’re getting the cat?” Tim asked.

“We're getting the damn cat,” Jason confirmed.

Tim and Jason both looked over their shoulders when they heard sneezing. Rather, they recognized the sneeze and the person behind it could only be Dick, for he was the only person in the store who was currently holding a kitten while rubbing his nose until it was bright red.

“So, we’re not getting the cat,” Tim stated.

“We’re not getting the damn cat,” Jason confirmed.

“Damn’ is a curse word, you know?” Tim indicated while struggling to grab all the bag handles at once.

“Just pretend you didn’t hear it.” Jason scoffed.

“I’ll pretend, alright. I’m tired of this.” Tim sent daggers Dick’s way. “His mood swings aren’t an excuse anymore. I want payback.”

“Trust me, Timmy. You’ll get your payback only if you stick with me. I made this bet, already knowing Dick would lose.” Jason peered over at Tim, seeing him make a confused face. “Remember when I said _before_ the pup is born?”

Tim widened his eyes. “Oooh, I get it now. Labor for him is going to suck.” Jason's plan is okay and all but Tim didn’t actually want to see Dick suffer just so he could lose the bet. He did want him to lose the bet though. He'd just have to think of another way. Besides this was all just for fun and it was the best type of distraction that they needed right now.


	39. Complete Dependency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Concerning some things in the last chapter. 
> 
> 1\. It wasn’t my intention to make Tim and Jay seem harsh and I am sorry about that. It was all just brotherly banter.❤❤
> 
> 2\. Things to note Trauma Wise- I know the last chapter seemed quite normal but I did show a bit Dick’s insecurities, with his eye, him not being able to look at his own reflection, he still eats with plastic utensils, He’s also become a very spiteful person- as I showed when it came to him not caring about other Omega DS Assassins and even Selina. He was literally glad she was dead and he wants to ruin her name.😬
> 
> Enjoy!😊❤

“Do you still love me?”

That was the first thing Dick asked on his first night back. They’d just settled down for bed with Dick having snuggled in close to Bruce’s big spoon, feeling a serene warmth from their hot shower. At first, Bruce didn’t think he should respond at all, considering the last time he said he loved Dick, he reacted negatively. Yet, being this close, the alpha could sense Dick’s forlorn emotion when he asked the question as if he were searching for the truth. Thus, Bruce settled for skipping over the word entirely and simply agreed. 

“Of course I do.” Bruce murmured against the back of Dick’s neck. “Why would you ask that?”

“I just wanted to know…” Dick spoke barely above a whisper, squeezing Bruce’s hand tighter. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”

“No, it’s just the last time I said it you reacted...”

“I don’t care if you say it anymore.” Dick quietly declared. “I want you to say it. I want to hear you say it.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive. I just... need to hear it.” Dick took a deep breath, eventually bringing Bruce’s hand to his mouth. “Please?” He mumbled against the alpha’s knuckles, briefly kissing them.

Bruce hesitated but the pleasant mood drew the words from his mouth. “I love you.” He meant it but still froze, expecting Dick to be negatively affected. This time, however, Dick reacted in the opposite way- practically calming at the sound of the word.

“Say it again.” Dick’s request was whispered against his knuckles and Bruce couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I love you, my pretty bird,” Bruce said it again, blindly giving in to Dick’s desires to hear it while not knowing what it did to his omega and how things would be from now on.

“Tell me you love me,” Dick said again the next night and Bruce responded accordingly, knowing his pregnant omega was needy and so he was begging to have the same response. Bruce didn’t mind saying it. He was happy Dick wanted to hear it even if that meant saying it for almost five nights straight. It was only after the tenth night of Dick asking the same question, that Bruce knew something was wrong. 

_“Do you love me?”_

_“Are you telling me the truth?”_

_“You love me, don’t you?”_

_“I need to hear you say it.”_

_“Tell me you love me.”_

_“Tell me again.”_

_“Prove to me that you do.”_

The questions were now variations of the same kind, in addition to asking for affirmation, to such an extent, Bruce began to question if Dick even believed him when he said it. Still, Bruce was more than obliged to offer his mate solace even if the cycle repeated itself over and over again. With no end in sight, there were some things Bruce wished to understand.

Tim didn’t know what happened to Dick in the weeks that he was ordered to be unresponsive. In addition to him being made unresponsive, Barbara was sure that something else had occurred. Bruce wasn’t comfortable with the vague information Tim had given him about Dick and Slade’s interactions. 

The small touches, the stares, the pliantness of Dick’s manners and attitude. It was something Bruce had witnessed when he watched those videos but Tim confirmed that it wasn’t something innocent. Though he didn’t want to guess what had happened, he told Bruce that Dick was set on being left behind at one point until Tim convinced him otherwise.

_“He thought you broke your bond so I told him that Slade must’ve been lying to him. He didn’t believe me… Like now, it was hard to convince him of anything. It’s worse now but...”_

_“He was like this before he returned home?” Bruce inquired._

_Tim nodded, deciding to skip over the information about Selina being pregnant. For some strange reason, Tim still found a hard time believing it was true. “Back then, I had to tell him you never doubted him and that you were coming for him,” Tim confessed. “That’s why I asked if you broke your bond when you first got there. I needed to know what the truth was.”_

_“I would never break our bond,” Bruce stated a second time. “But… doubting him is something that I’m guilty of.” In saying that, Bruce hadn’t expected Tim to become as angry as he did._

_“It pisses me off to know that you doubted him for even a second!” Tim shouted. “_ _This comparison thing is ridiculous. If anything, Dick is way better than Selina. Dick has always tried to get along with me and Jason. I don’t remember Selina doing any of that.”_

_“Tim, that’s enough.” Bruce reprimanded him._

_“Dick had his eye gouged out while you were probably talking it up with the clan by revisiting your old pastimes with someone who’s never sacrificed her life to save any of you!”_

_“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Tim,” Bruce grumbled angrily. “Selina has sacrificed her life…” Bruce couldn’t even finish his sentence. Had Selina sacrificed her life for him? He honestly couldn’t recall one event that she did._

_“I do know.” Tim declared. “I know a lot, actually but even if I didn’t, none of this is right. And I’ll be damned if you even stepped foot into that graveyard while you were trying to find us.” Tim referred to the anniversary of Selina’s death- it was the one day he grew to hate the most over the last five years. And when Bruce had nothing to say about it, showing off that guilty look of his, Tim grew furious._

_“I knew it. You don’t deserve him.” Tim said ominously low._

_“I know.” Bruce outright admitted. “But I’ve been trying my hardest to move on more than I ever have before. I know you’re angry at me, but all I ask is that you give me some time to make it up to him.”_

_“Don’t ever hurt him. Not now or ever.” Tim’s eyes were narrowed threateningly. “I won’t forgive you if you do.”_

_“I wouldn’t forgive myself either...”_

Dick didn’t remember what happened or, as Barbara proposed, he _chose_ not to remember. Either way, the only ones who knew what really happened were Slade and Dick while the rest of the Wayne family had to deal with the unfortunate consequences of his brainwashing. Dick needed confirmation; he needed the guarantee of a promise or his distrust would turn into pure panic. Bruce figured he was insecure, which he was, but there was something else eating away at the family’s chagrin. Dick had been brainwashed to the point where a requisite action had him thinking he was going to be punished for screwing up even the most basic task. 

The very first time it happened was five days after they returned. Dick had been clumsily trying to stand up from the couch and ended up knocking over some old vase Bruce had lying around for decoration. It was like something triggered him and no one expected it to be something like this. Panicking and begging for forgiveness. 

_“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Dick repeated, voice trembling. “It was an accident. I'm sorry. I didn’t mean-”_

_Tim was the first to move, rushing over after witnessing the startings of a panic episode. “It’s okay, Dick. It’s okay.”_

_“I-I didn’t mean to knock it over. I’m sorry.” There was a cluster of knots forming in Dick’s stomach, a lump in his throat, his thoughts accelerating. “P-please don’t punish me… please… I’m sorry.”_

_“No, no Dick, it’s okay.” Tim held Dick close, comforting him. And when he spotted Bruce walking over, Tim pulled Dick closer, glaring at the alpha, almost growling. “I have him.“ He rubbed circles on Dick’s back, guiding him out of the living room. “Let’s go to your nest so you can relax.”_

_Tim was still mad at Bruce for what he admitted the other day. He believed him when he said he was trying to move forward but that wasn’t enough for him right now. Granted, Tim had his own secrets he’d been withholding from the family (most of all, Dick) but he couldn’t tell them. Not after seeing how Dick had been acting these days. And since Dr. Dundee hadn’t said anything was wrong, Tim held off on telling them anything at all. By lying to Dick, he was just as much of an asshole as Bruce was, but he couldn’t say it. DIck would be devastated. It would ruin him._

_Dick’s nest was in the same room he’d chosen as the nursery. It was right next to the master bedroom and had been prepared exclusively for Dick to relax in. Tim had a hand in helping Dick make his nest, though he wasn’t an expert himself, Dick commended him despite that. Having a big comfy nest in his own private room allowed the softness from the assortment of pillows, blankets, and clothes, to stimulate a feeling of relief and comfort. It made Dick depend on the nests’ security. Especially since it was made by two omegas._

_Tim removed the collar Bruce bought him, letting his scent fill the room as he watched Dick sit down on the bed. Soon, Tim was coaxing Dick to lay down next to him, letting his scent soothe the anxious omega. They’d gotten closer than Tim had ever expected. Building a nest together was the peak of their close companionship. When Dick was in a bad mood, they would nest together, and only then would Dick fully calm down. Only omegas could have the connection they flaunted as they made use of their platonic affection. With this, Dick only allowed Tim inside his nest. It offended Bruce at first, but it was Dick’s choice and an alpha had no right to interfere. Besides, it was here where Dick could be completely open with his feelings- and he would, only to Tim._

_“I’m not tainted... I’m not worthless.” Dick muttered, taking deep breaths as Tim’s scent surrounded him. “I’ll be perfect for him so… so he won’t punish me. I’ll do better.”_

_“Who’s... him?” Tim asked softly, smoothing back Dick’s bangs._

_Dick didn’t answer._

_“Bruce...” Tim assumed and he hoped he was right. “He won’t punish you. You’re not with DS anymore. You’re at home with me. We’re both safe.”_

_“We’re not safe… I shouldn’t be here,” Dick whispered. “He didn’t allow me to come here. I’m so stupid...”_

_Tim comforted him the best way he could, for hours until Dick finally fell asleep. And then when Dickwoke up, he bounced back and acted like nothing had happened._

_And so did everyone else._

Bruce was angry once he found Dick to be under more brainwashing than Barbara had anticipated. Bruce wanted to get his hands on Slade so he could slowly and tortuously break every single bone in his body. Slade deserved hell for all that he’s done to his mate. Dick being this anxious and distrustful was unsettling and Bruce wished he could do more to help.

And his son, Tim, as much as he tried to hide it, the poor boy was suffering just the same. The extent of his torture led to the very thing he liked to do in his spare time- watching movies, specifically action movies and medical shows. But now, those things were a no go. If anyone wanted to watch those genres it would have to be in a private room with the door locked. Tim’s anxiety and fear were deep-rooted in many forms that stood apart from simply seeing blood in real life. It had now expanded into simply seeing blood on television that had Tim holding back his nausea on more than one occasion. 

Every single element that came with blood and needles, Tim avoided it like the plague. The poor omega didn’t admit to having these fears in the beginning. At first, he would swiftly excuse himself from the room, or maybe Alfred would find silver pens, clear coated thumb tacks, random sewing needles, and dark red colored t-shirts and blankets in the garbage every few days. Bruce knew his son to be a silent sufferer ever since he thought himself to be a rare defect, but now it had escalated. 

There was no immediate fix for the people Bruce cared about except for having them see a therapist. Tim, as expected, kindly declined and shut down the entire topic of him getting any treatment. He claimed he was fine and that was that. Dick, on the other hand, would be switching to behavioral therapy in the following weeks. Barbara gave the family a few tasks to do in order to calm Dick down and to avoid Tim’s various triggers. She also told them the extent of what she predicted may have happened to Dick when he was alone with Slade.

_“Being ordered to not react made him helpless and incapable of doing anything for himself. And when he was finally ordered out of it, well… it’s obvious that’s when more conditioning happened.” Barbara concluded. “Before, Slade was the one who made sure Dick fed off of those reassurances and rewards. Now, all he had to do was to take it away and offer punishments instead to completely flip the switch.”_

_“Are you saying he was abused?” Bruce dared to ask._

_“Yes. Mentally abused not physically, if his lack of bruises is anything to go by. Slade took away the awards and that meant Dick had to depend on something else to satisfy that empty space. Without a doubt in my mind, Slade knew this. Only the master of Dick’s brainwashing can alter it into something else entirely. Instilling obedience and disobedience, replacing awards with punishments and making it so his life completely revolves around that one person that can control all of those things… this is complete mind control and even from far away, Slade is pulling the strings.”_

_Babs sighed softly, continuing, “Dick’s extensive shame, self-blame, persistent suspicion, and constantly seeking for approval to soothe his mistrust, are coping mechanisms which are a result of his C-PTSD. And like I said before, C-PTSD branches out into quite a few other personality disorders which is why it's hard to diagnose. But now after seeing his newly developed symptoms, I’m leaning away from my previous diagnosis of BPD to him having traits of Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD). This is not a complete diagnosis, but if not properly monitored, these traits may escalate and lead to more serious disorders such as psychotic delusional ones. But trust me, I won’t let it get that far. We’ll be starting his behavioral therapy soon.”_

Bruce didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to do anymore. All he could do was believe Barbara because it was evident that Dick’s paranoia was getting worse and worse. With Dick acting like this, there was no way of knowing how he would react to Bruce telling him about his previous doubts. Nor did he know how Dick would react when Bruce wasn’t around. The alpha was reluctant to go back to work because of this, especially since he thought Dick would be against it. Nevertheless, this morning Dick was back to his normal self, and surprisingly, he didn’t beg Bruce to stay home. Still, the alpha made sure to send Tim and Jason a separate text on the proper protocols if Dick had another one of his panic episodes. He also made sure Tim was taking his anemia seriously. Bruce wished he could help more but this was all he could do until--

“Bruce!”

Bruce blinked, sight focusing on Kathy sitting on the other side of his desk.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“No…” Bruce faltered. “Sorry, I was thinking.”

“Well don’t think too hard, you’ll give yourself a headache- and you know how crampy you get when you have one.” Kathy taunted.

Bruce straightened his posture. “What were you trying to tell me?”

“Christmas.” Kathy began with a smile. “Since we’re technically working as a clan again, I was thinking that we should all get together and celebrate like old times. How about it?”

Bruce sighed, closing his work laptop. “I don’t think that will happen this year.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve told you this before. Dick is not very fond of any of you and it’s his cho--”

“It’s your mate’s choice, I get it.” Kathy slumped back in her chair. “I still can’t believe you gave him the password to your cell phone. You did see what he told me this morning, didn’t you?”

A sheepish smile tugged at his lips. “I’m aware.”

“He has a lot of nerve you know.” Kathy crossed her arms. “Very bold and a little scary.”

“I agree with the bold part,” Bruce replied, not expecting Dick to text someone without asking him first but with everything going on, he didn’t know what his omega was thinking. He would have to talk to Dick about it when he got home.

“So, I’m assuming you want me to personally ask Dick about this?”

Bruce gave a curt nod. “Preferably.”

“Okay, give me his number, then.” Kathy pulled out her cellphone.

“I’d get in trouble if I did that.”

“Then how am I supposed to ask him?”

Bruce lifted a brow, gesturing towards his own phone. “I could call him right now so you can-”

“No, no.” Kathy put her hands up. “That’s okay. Not today.” _Not after that text._ “How about I get back to you on that. It’s just the beginning of November.”

Bruce chuckled, catching on to Kathy’s reluctance. “Something actually scares you, Kat?”

“Out of anything else, a pregnant omega is one of them.” She admitted. “I’ve been around too many of them in my lifetime to not be afraid.” Just thinking about it made Kathy shiver. “How are you guys holding up with his neediness anyhow?”

“For the most part,” Dreariness clouded Bruce’s features, knowing that Dick’s hormonal neediness wasn’t the main problem. “We’ve been hanging in there.”

Kathy snickered. “I’ve got to come over and witness it myself… whenever Dick allows me, of course.”

“We’ll work it out,” Bruce reassured her. “I’m not sure when but you should hope for the best.”

“I’ll try.” Kathy smiled, actually hoping everything would. But first, she would have to get on Dick’s good side.

~*~

_“What's your name?” A woman's voice asked._

_“Talon,” Dick said softly._

_“No, I mean your real name.”_

_“I can’t-” Dick looked down. “I can’t say it.”_

_“That’s too bad. I’m guessing you can’t leave either.”_

_Dick shook his head, trying to hold back his tears._

_“How old are you?”_

_“...Eleven.”_

_“So young. And you don’t even know how valuable you are, Talon... It’s too bad you’ll have to stay here. But I’ve spent too many years trying to get these people to trust me and I won’t have you messing that up for me. Right now, you don’t exist and I’ll make sure it stays that way.”_

Dick woke up with a start, after feeling something nudge his shoulder. He opened his eyes just in time to see Tim pull his hand away.

“Sorry, I was just telling you we were here. Stephanie is waiting outside.”

“I must have drifted off but…” Dick breathed softly, looking over at Cassandra’s empty car seat.

“Where’s Cass?” Dick swiftly moved to take off his seatbelt. “Did you lose her again?”

“No, it’s okay Dick.” Tim pointed outside the window. “She’s right there.” 

Dick calmed down once he saw Jason holding her in his arms. With relief, Dick took a deep breath and settled back against the seat, rubbing his forehead in frustration. “My head is killing me.”

“Did you have another flashback?” Tim asked, his concern growing.

“I think so but it was... weird.” Dick murmured. “This time I couldn’t see their faces. I could only hear their voices.”

“Do you remember what they said?”

“I…” Dick was straining to remember, his head throbbing. “I…”

“It’s okay, don’t stress.”

Dick nodded before abruptly gasping and quickly putting his hand on the left side of his belly.

“You okay?” Tim asked frantically, looking more afraid then Dick expected him too.

“Yeah,” Dick massaged his belly. “I don’t know how the baby always manages to kick the same spot.” He huffed a laugh to appease Tim’s fear-stricken face. “Tim, why do you always get like that whenever the baby kicks me? It’s not that serious.”

“That’s…” Tim stammered and from here, Dick could feel his guilty emotions.

“Tim, what--”

“Guys,” Jason popped his head in through the open passenger door, “Steph is waiting for us.”

Dick gladly sought for Tim to help him out of the backseat and when he finally stood up, that’s when he smelt it again. That familiar scent. It came and went quickly but every time Dick smelled it, he couldn’t help but be reminded of the first time he did. When he was running around trying to protect Cassandra from the hunters, he lost himself for one moment, and then that scent came and took his distress away. Back then, the scent had been stronger than it was now. So much so, that Dick had mistaken it for Cassandra’s but now he knew it wasn’t hers. Perhaps it was his pregnancy hormones causing these ghost-like scents because it’s not like anyone else could smell it.

“She’s so cute!” 

Dick looked up to see Stephanie trekking across the parking lot over to Jason and Cassandra. Once she was close enough to the two, she reached out and gently pinched Cassandra’s cheeks. “So soft and adorable.” She cooed.

In response, Cassandra turned away, shyly burying her face into the crook of Jason’s neck.

“It takes her a while to warm up to people,” Jason explained. “Believe it or not, she just got used to me three days ago.”

“Bruce is all that’s left now.” Tim pointed out. “I wonder how much longer that’s gonna take.”

“Hey, Timmy.” She greeted the omega with a hug. “How are you?”

“I’m way better than before.”

“That’s good.” Stephanie soon looked over at Dick, her bright smile fading into that of speculative curiosity before sticking out her hand. “Stephanie Brown. We’ve sort of met before but I’ve never really gotten the chance to say hi.”

“You actually greeted me this time around.” Dick’s eyes flickered to Stephanie’s stretched out hand but he purposely kept his hand at his side. 

“Sorry about that.” She dropped her hand. “Sometimes it’s hard to not follow along with everyone else’s opinions. Especially the clan’s.”

Annoyance crossed Dick’s expression. “Is it?”

“It… it is a little bit.” Stephanie avoided Dick’s gaze. “From the looks of it, I’m guessing you don’t fully agree with me being here.”

“Consider yourself a good guesser then.” Dick wasn’t going to engage in a friendly chit chat with her. Jason told him what all the members said at one of their little meetings and it made him extremely angry. Even though Tim and Jason were practically the head of Dick’s defense committee, he said he could handle the clan himself. He didn’t trust Stephanie; he didn’t like her, therefore he wasn’t going to be nice to her.

At the snarky remark, Stephanie awkwardly scratched her arm, looking at Jason and Tim for help and when she found none, she went back to fawning over Cassandra.

“Looks like you guys already brought some good clothes for her.” She pulled at the puffy skirt.

“Courtesy of Dick.” Tim praised, watching Stephanie nod slowly, forcing herself to not glance Dick’s way. 

“It’s really cute. I’d say you have this handled already and don’t need my help at all.” Stephanie offered a compliment, hoping to somehow win Dick over but from the omega’s guarded indifference--enough to completely ignore her and pull out his cellphone--she knew there was no getting through to him.

Stephanie sighed softly. “Well, uh, Kat was inside getting--”

“Kat’s inside?” Jason asked as he looked through the glass window of the little dessert shop.

“Well, she _was_ here. She just left to visit Bruce at the Wayne Tower. She wanted to stay but…” Stephanie not so discreetly glanced at Dick. “She wanted to spend some time with Bruce.”

Upon officially meeting Stephanie, instead of leaving Tim and Jason to do the job, Dick felt the need to stay around and keep an eye on Cassandra. Though he didn’t exactly find Stephanie threatening, he wanted to make sure. He needed to witness Cassandra’s safety for himself.

“So, where are we going?” Dick asked, shifting on his aching feet.

“I thought you were going to ride home with Bruce?” Tim asked, sensing Dick’s discomfort.

Dick tried to smile. “I’ve never left Cassandra alone before.” _‘With strangers he didn’t like,’_ he didn’t say, but Stephanie got the gist. “I would feel more comfortable if I came along.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Stephanie quickly agreed for she was _really_ trying to ease the tension. “I’ve already picked out a few places we can go.”

“Lead the way,” Jason said and before long, they fell into step behind the female alpha, heading toward the outlet mall across the street.

“Dick, are you sure you’re okay?” Tim whispered, making sure to stay close to Dick’s side.

“I’m fine.”

_Dick wasn’t fine._

At around the thirty-minute mark, Dick’s feet were practically swelling within his shoes, forcing him to take a break. Begrudgingly, he didn’t think Cassandra was safe with Stephanie so he didn’t want to rest but Tim insisted that he do. Eventually, he gave in and let Jason go off with Stephanie and Cassandra while he and Tim stayed behind and went to a familiar pizza place. It brought back memories of the day when he and Tim first started getting along and Tim seemed to remember too, for he led them to the same booth. Tim sat next to him this time, pushing the table towards the other booth across from them to accommodate for Dick’s stomach.

“Jason, hold your phone a bit higher.” Dick stared at the video call, his anxiety growing when he couldn’t see Cassandra.

 _“Sorry, my bad.”_ Jason fixed the view, pointing his camera at Stephanie holding up two yellow dresses for Cassandra to see.

“She’s fine, Dick.” The Wayne siblings didn’t question Dick wanting to facetime with Jason the entire time Cassandra was shopping with Stephanie. The only person who did _was_ Stephanie and thankfully she didn’t ask out loud but instead texted Tim about it. Tim told her exactly what Babs told them, he had traits of paranoia.

“You can’t always be sure of that. We did almost lose her earlier.” 

Recalling the pet shop incident, Dick still planned on getting Cassandra a cat once these allergies disappeared. When he started sneezing, he figured there was no way he had a cat allergy, considering he used to play around with strays all the time as a child. The store clerk told him that it could have been a temporary respite given by his pregnancy symptoms. To be frank, Dick was growing tired of all the annoying symptoms he’d been suffering through every day. He could admit that it made him grouchy and ill-tempered, enough to take it out on those around him.

“Speaking of which...” Dick set his phone on the ring stand and muted the call before glancing over at Tim. “I annoyed you guys today, didn’t I?”

Tim sighed guiltily. “I don’t want to lie and say you didn’t but… yeah you did… just a bit.”

“I’m sor--.”

“No, no need to say sorry.” Tim looked down at his lap. “Actually, I should be the one saying sorry for laughing at you this morning.”

Dick smiled a bit. “I _was_ being a little dramatic I guess.”

“You said it, not me.” Tim looked at the phone to make sure it was still on mute before saying, “I guess I should also mention that Jason and I sorta made it so you would lose the ‘no cursing’ bet.” Tim felt a bit guilty about the whole thing, even more so when he couldn’t think of another way to win the bet.

“Tim,” Dick pouted. “I get that you like him and all but you’re supposed to be on my side.”

“I know, you’re right.” Tim huffed and laid his head on Dick’s shoulder. “Let's just say Jason and I already lost and you win by default.”

Dick scoffed a laugh. “The point of this bet was so you two could stop cursing all together.”

“We’ll take Bruce’s consequences of losing our allowance instead. The bet’s off. I’ll let Jason know later.”

Dick fondly patted the side of his head. “Good boy.”

Tim playfully pushed his hand away. “Don’t do that.”

Dick laughed while looking back at the screen, soon feeling Tim pull his head away to look around the restaurant.

“What are you doing?” 

“I’m looking for that one guy who flirted with you last time.”

Dick snorted and started looking around too, finding that there were more people staring at him than he had expected.

Dick took a deep breath and forced himself to look down. As much as he tried to ignore it, people had been staring at him all day. At times like this, he could practically feel his eye-patch branding his skin, just when he’d finally forgotten it was there. Behind it, laid a few of his deepest darkest secrets and flaws. If people were staring at him, that would be the main thing to focus on. It was one of his most inevitable blemishes, only second to the one that used to be his mating bite.

Dick slowly brought a hand up to the back of his neck and touched the gash crossing out his old bond mark. It was covered up by his hair so he didn’t have to worry about people seeing it but he still felt self-conscious about it. He was an unmated pregnant omega, struggling to come to terms with how he should go about another day acting as if everything was fine when it wasn’t.

He’d been trying hard all damn day to keep himself calm and level. This was for Cassandra he kept telling himself. He wanted Cassandra to have a normal day out. He’d been okay this morning; he had a good breakfast, threw a few quips around with Tim and Jason… everything was normal. That’s how it was supposed to be. 

Hectic days like this, normal days like this were all Dick ever wanted but even he couldn’t avoid his senseless worry. Those he met, the conversations he had, and to all that had seen him today, Dick would have rather stayed home and avoided all of that. Going outside led to more problems and they were lurking at every corner. No matter how small the worries were or how much Dick wanted to avoid them, they would always appear when he least expected it.

“Aw, looks like he’s not here.” Tim turned around, seeing the other omega looking down at the table. “Dick?”

_Everyone was staring at him._

Dick?”

_He was such an idiot for coming out here. He knew his image looked bizarre as of right now so of course, he would get stares. He was Bruce Wayne’s soulmate, for heaven’s sake. They were a public couple. He was such a fool for believing he would be free of the prying glances._

“Dick!?”

Dick blinked. “Mm?”

“Are you okay?” Tim asked softly, even though he could feel that Dick wasn’t.

“N-no… people are staring at me.”

Tim turned around to see a few people glancing their way, but the looks were brief and he honestly didn’t think they were malicious. It was just plain curiosity.

“They- they think I’m ugly, don’t they?” With a trembling voice, Dick rambled on. “They think I look weird. How could Bruce’s mate look like this.”

“No, Dick, that’s not it at all.” Tim soothed, wanting to remove his collar so his pheromones could offer more comfort but he didn’t want to draw more attention since Dick was already upset by it. “If anything, they’re probably attracted to your scent. You smell very sweet right now and I think it’s wonderful.”

Dick shook his head in denial. “That’s a lie. I…” Frantically covering up his eye patch with his bangs “...I look different. I look strange.”

“Dick, that’s not true.”

Dick shook his head again. “I want to go home. I can’t take it anymore. What time is it?” Breathing harder, “When will Bruce be home?” Dick frenziedly grabbed his phone, only to accidentally drop it. “I need to call him and--”

“Dick, Dick, look at me.” Tim grabbed Dick’s face, speaking softly, “It’s okay, we’ll go home in a minute. We’ll go to our nest. I’ll drive you there.”

“No… no, I need to see Bruce. I need him now.”

“Okay, we’ll go see Bruce then.” Tim promptly retrieved Dick’s phone from under the table and stood up. “Let’s go.” 

Despite wanting to get to the Wayne Tower quickly, Tim drove down the streets of Gotham at a proper speed, giving Jason’s car all the respect it deserved. Any nick on this car and Jason would probably kill him but it shouldn’t matter that much now, this was urgent, in a way. When Dick was like this, it was almost impossible to get him to calm down without something there to physically relax him. Tim preferred their nest but going to see Bruce was more convenient at the moment and besides, that's what Dick wanted.

Regretfully, these panic episodes have become so frequent that Tim was afraid to say anything about the enhancer drug. The only other time he had mentioned the drug was a few days after they returned and they announced that the Surge Suppressor was being recalled on the news. At the time, they were all having dinner, casually discussing everything that they found at Rex’s house. 

Tim wasn’t exactly surprised to find out that Rex was the one who created the dynamic-less drug but he was surprised at the number of test subjects the man was privy to using. It was at that point, Jason mentioned the vials that Tim had inside a sock strapped to his shoelace. With Bruce’s piqued curiosity and Dick’s refusal to accept that he’d been forced to make the drug, Tim told them what he’d accomplished.

_“You created what?” Jason exclaimed._

_“Well, I wouldn’t exactly say created. It’s more of a rehash- a better formula than its predecessor. Basically, I completed what Rex couldn’t but without his previous research I probably couldn’t have.” The modesty Tim harbored wasn’t for Rex as a whole, it was for his intelligence and Tim sought to do good with his work rather than bad._

_“This is unreal.” Jason was in disbelief._

_“It’s really not,” Tim said smugly._

_“They forced you to do this.” Dick let his fork hit the plate. “You should have never been in that lab.”_

_“Dick, I was completely fine. They never hurt me.” Besides Rose yanking him around a couple of times but Tim wasn’t going to mention that._

_Tim gulped at the thought of Rose. Every time he thought about her, he wanted to curl up into a ball and cry his eyes out. Actually, that’s what he’d been doing every night. All he ever thought about was his brisk decision to grab that sword and stab her. He was blinded by rage, wanting to do anything and everything to save Dick and Cassandra. He let his mind wander to a dark place and for a split second, he was truly happy to have killed her; to have saved Dick but then… came the blood… so much blood and fire…_

_In the midst of him fainting, he hadn’t even realized that Rose was the first person he’d ever killed…_

_He killed someone…_

_And for some reason, Tim couldn’t forgive himself for that. He'd been taking it hard and he kept it all to himself. Dick was the only one who knew what he’d done and he even tried to ask about it one night but Tim quickly shut it down, begging for Dick not to tell anyone. He didn’t want anyone else worrying about him._

_He was fine._

_“How do you know if it works?” Jason asked._

_“That’s the problem,” Tim glanced at Dick who went back to innocently eating his food. “I don’t.”_

_“You must have some sort of base formula down, otherwise you wouldn’t have kept those vials.”_

_Bruce made a valid point. Tim had planned on doing further research and making a safe working enhancer drug and for what exactly? “Well, I kept them because...I kind of had this idea…” Tim tapered off._

_“What is it?” Bruce urged him to speak, leaning forward to listen intently._

_“Well,” Tim took a deep breath. “If it were possible, I’d like to perfect the drug and give it to those who need it- to those who don’t have a dynamic. The Rare Defects.” He took another deep breath before proceeding with his next idea. “I would also… like to create a heat suppressant if I can."_

_“These are some serious goals, Tim,” Bruce spoke with a business-like tone._

_“I know but I’ve been thinking about it and I think this is what I’m meant to do- to use my knowledge for good. Even outside of the clan.”_

_Bruce nodded, a smile gracing his lips. “I can see you doing that Tim- making something of yourself. Even bigger than me.”_

_Tim couldn’t help but smile._

_“I think you can do it too.” Jason co-signed Bruce’s praise._

_“Thanks, guys.”_

_“If you do make a suppressant, you’ll be the first Omega to have done so.” Dick gave a fond look. “After everything that’s happened, you’ll be more trusted to make one than any other alpha in the world. Plus, you’ll have Bruce to endorse all your research.”_

_“Of course.” Bruce agreed. “I’ll give you all the resources you need but first, I want you to stop stealing money from your trust fund account.”_

_“Wait.” Jason almost knocked over his drink with how fast he put the cup down. “You’ve been doing that?”_

_Tim shrugged. “Since I was fourteen. The security code just keeps getting easier and easier.” He taunted Bruce._

_“There will be consequences next time it happens,” Bruce warned, causing Dick to snicker._

_Jason leaned over, whispering, “You’ve got to teach me how to do that.”_

_Tim only rolled his eyes and went back to eating, enjoying the lighthearted mood that conversation led to. It was only when Dick groaned, did Tim manage to remember why the enhancer drug was bad in the first place._

_“What’s wrong?” Tim was the first to ask and if he hadn’t controlled himself, he would have been up and over on Dick’s side of the table within seconds._

_“N-nothing.” Dick pressed against the left side of his stomach. “The pup’s just pushing at my side. The baby’s had a lot of energy since yesterday- kept me up all night.”_

_“Well,” Jason said into his cup of water. “The pup’s the product of you and Bruce so I reckon he’s gonna be a troublemaker. He’s starting a little too early though.”_

_“Jason,” Dick gave the alpha a pointed stare. “You act as if my pup is only going to inherit our bad traits.”_

_Tim’s elatedness fell once again. He should say it now and get it over with. Dick may cry and panic again but at least he’d know; at least Tim wouldn’t be lying to them anymore._

_“Um… Dick…”_

_“Mm?”_

_It was so hard sometimes to face Dick when he gave that look. So content and happy to be home. Tim had been wishing to see this exact expression since they were in captivity._

_He couldn’t tell him._

_To know that Slade had done another bad thing to Dick would be detrimental to his current mental health. He could tell Bruce- no, that was risky. Knowing him, he’d tell Dick and who was he kidding? Bruce would probably flip out worse than Dick would._

_“Tim?” Dick caught the other omega’s attention. “What were you going to tell me?”_

_“Oh… um…” Tim faltered, going back on the means to reveal the truth. “I was... thinking we should start working on the nursery soon. If that was something you wanted to do...”_

_Dick perked up. “I almost forgot about that. Sure thing. We should look at things online after dinner.”_

_Tim nodded, biting his inner lip with guilt and that same guilt had been eating away at his sanity for the past three weeks._

Tim glanced over at Dick, who couldn’t sit still for even a few seconds, for he was anxious to see his mate. Tim was now driving a little bit above the speed limit and the closer they got, the more compelled Tim felt to say something about the enhancer.

 _He should…_

_He couldn’t…_

_Then what should he do?_ He had to tell them just in case something happened… anything could happen. If the drug was working like it was supposed to then that meant the baby was already changing... and if that baby presented as a Prime Alpha...

Tim almost gasped out loud when he came to another horrible realization. Pure Alpha bloodlines are the only ones able to give birth to a Prime Alpha. Never in the history of anything has a simple Omega given birth to one… especially one that was already presenting in the wound. This isn’t good…

 _Please, please don’t present as a Prime Alpha._ Tim needed more time to come clean.


	40. Prime Presentation

“Dr. Dundee. I’m surprised to see you calling.” Bruce said.

“I’m here too, doctor,” Kathy said, after walking around Bruce’s desk to see the video chat on the laptop.

_“Ms. Kane. It’s nice to hear from you. It's been a few years.”_

“It has, hasn’t it.” Kathy grinned. “Well, it’s a good thing I don’t get sick easily.”

The doctor chuckled. _“That’s a very good thing.”_

"Last time we talked, I believe you said you were retiring," Kathy mentioned.

_"I’m still thinking about it but perhaps I still feel indebted to Bruce's father for getting me this job a long time ago."_

"You’re a true test of time, Dr. Dundee.” Kathy chuckled. “I'm sure they would want you to have a long-needed vacation."

 _"That sounds nice."_ The doctor smiled. _“Maybe at the end of next year. I do have a Wayne to deliver soon.”_

“Of course. For that day, I cannot wait.” Kathy said excitedly.

Bruce gave a soft laugh, soon asking. “What can I do for you, doctor?” 

_“Mr. Wayne…”_ Bruce set his pen down after seeing the doctor sigh. _“I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to you. It has been hectic here dealing with the Surge Suppressor patients."_

"Don’t worry, I understand that." 

The doctor straightened his glasses. _"It has come to my attention that I’ve gone senile and have had to replace my glasses to make sure what I was seeing was… real."_

"Real?” Bruce quirked a brow and Kathy leaned in, paying closer attention. “What are you talking about?"

 _"I was trying to figure out the right time to tell you this, but…”_ He sighed again, shaking his head. _“Perhaps it will be harder to tell you than I thought it would be.”_

Bruce frowned. “What’s wrong?”

_“I think we need to speak more privately. No offense to you, Ms. Kane.”_

“No, it’s alright with me.” She threw a dismissive wave. “I’ll see you guys later.” Kathy went to grab her purse from the chair, only to see the door open and a scent of a distressed omega billow it’s way inside the massive office. 

“Dick.” Bruce instantly stood up at the sight of his distraught omega walking through the door. “I’ll have to call you back, Dr. Dundee.”

 _“Mr. Way-!”_ Bruce shut the laptop, quickly making his way over to his mate.

Dick readily wrapped his arms around his alpha, whimpering upon contact and Bruce hushed him while hugging him close. “Give us a minute.” His request forced both Tim and Kathy to leave.

“Is everything okay with him?” Kathy looked back at the door, worry etched in her brow.

“No… not really.” Tim sighed and started toward the elevator. He felt his phone vibrate and knew it was Jason probably wondering where the hell Tim went with his car. As reluctant as he was to leave Dick’s side, he decided it was best to let Bruce handle it. Even if they did have a close bond, there was only so much comfort an omega could provide. “It’s another one of his panic episodes,” Tim said plainly but on the inside, he was swamped with worry. “It’s Paranoia.” He concluded, pressing the ground floor button.

“Oh, that’s… horrible.” Kathy truly sympathized. “I hope therapy is doing him some good at least.”

“We’re all hoping for that.” And Tim was just hoping not to make the situation worse by telling him about the enhancer drug.

“Barbara’s a good psychologist, I know it will all work out soon.”

“Honestly, Kathy, I thought you out of everyone would understand Dick the most...” Tim, not so secretly shrugged toward her broken bond mark. “...Considering your own past.”

Kathy brought a hand to the back of her neck before clearing her throat. “I didn’t think alpha orders could be manipulated to such an extent. It’s a dumb reason,” She acknowledged. “But, my alpha never took it that far. She was… single-minded, the complete opposite of Slade who’s obviously a very evil man.” Kathy looked over at Tim with a small smile. “I guess, for my abuse, I got called out for playing the victim so much that I actually started to believe it... That’s why it was harder for me to garner sympathy toward Dick.”

Tim awkwardly looked off to the side. “Sorry, I didn’t think it was that deep for you.”

“No, it’s fine. I knew it was wrong and because I’m still struggling with my own mindset… after seeing that video and knowing that Selina helped me get through the worst of my depression, it was hard for me to accept how she died. I owe Selina a lot, y’know?”

“You and everyone else seem to owe her a lot,” Tim muttered once the elevator doors opened. “Kat, did you know that Selina was pregnant?”

Kathy stopped in her tracks, giving Tim a bewildered look. “What? Where did you hear that?”

“Dick told me. Seems like Bruce told him.”

Kathy shook her head, walking out of the automatic front doors. “That's… some news to me. I never heard anything about that. And trust me, she would’ve told me if she were pregnant. She told me everything.”

“Dick wouldn’t lie about that.” Tim immediately went on the defensive.

“Maybe Bruce is lying then because, seriously, Selina was one of those people who didn’t like children.” Kathy conceded.

Tim nodded, _Well, that explains a few things._

“She did everything she could to make sure she never got pregnant.” Kathy sighed. “I don’t believe it. You should ask Bruce to double-check that information.”

“Will do. Well, it was nice seeing you.”

“You too, Timmy.” Kathy drew the other omega into a hug. “And don’t worry, I’ll straighten things out with Dick. It’s best to not have beef with my favorite cousin’s mate, right?”

Tim smiled, teasing. “Good luck and proceed with caution.”

.

.

.

Comforting Dick wasn’t as easy as it seemed but Bruce gladly endured it. He answered every unreasonable question he had, coming to find out that Dick was even more insecure about his looks then he previously thought. But all was well after Bruce offered him a load of well-deserved compliments. Dick was beautiful and he could never embarrass Bruce with any sort of changes that were happening to his body. His eye-patch be damned, for that did nothing to wane his lovely features. After Dick felt satisfied with the heap of reassurances and compliments, they sat on the couch for a while, basking in each other’s scents. 

Dick fully calmed down at the expense of making Bruce say the things he wanted to hear. He _needed_ to hear these things. They made him feel valuable but as soon as Bruce stopped, it was hard for Dick to trust what Bruce said. He hated how fast his doubts resurfaced but they never failed to do so. He thought maybe Bruce was pitying him. All the more so when Bruce moved back to his desk to finish the rest of his work for the day. In the end, Dick decided to start up a conversation just to hear Bruce’s voice again. 

“Nice place you got here, It’s very spacious, very modern and... dramatic… in a good way,” Dick added, still looking at all the modern adornments spread around Bruce’s office. “You have a kitchenette bar and everything.”

Bruce looked up from his desk. “I’m glad you like it. I was feeling frisky with the design because I hated my father’s office so much.”

Dick scoffed an unexpected laugh. “That’s your inspiration? To outdo your father's office?”

“Precisely.”

Dick laughed again while looking around the office once more, catching sight of a framed picture sitting on the side table next to him. The short distance between the picture and himself still managed to throw off his focus and he couldn’t be more glad about going to the eye doctor soon. Ultimately, Dick reached over and grabbed the frame, bringing it closer to see a familiar image.

“You got another one printed?” Dick said softly, looking at Tim’s graduation photo- the one that included him.

“Yes, just a few days after Jason brought back the prints.”

“We need to take another one. I was so pissed at you that day. At best, it was a bittersweet memory.”

Bruce couldn’t help but chuckle. “I agree.”

Dick placed the picture on the table before leaning back against the couch. He was extremely happy to see that Bruce had put a picture of him in his office. It was only fair that he’d have a picture somewhere in Bruce’s life. They needed to take more; _more than he had with Selina_. 

“Dick?”

Dick glanced over at Bruce.

“I want to talk about the text you sent Kat this morning.”

Dick immediately looked off to the side, mumbling. “What about it?”

“I gave you the password to my phone because I trust you.”

“I was just telling her the truth.” Dick shrugged. “You don’t need those pictures.”

“That’s not the problem here, Dick.” Bruce gruffly stated. “You sent a text on my phone without asking me first. I don’t appreciate that.”

Dick scoffed, effortlessly turning this against Bruce. “What if I hadn’t texted her back. Would you have taken those pictures?”

“No, I wouldn’t have.” Bruce speedily confirmed.

No matter how instant and firm the answer was, Dick hardly believed him.

“I know that you’re having excessive trust difficulties right now and I’m trying to be considerate of that but I think we need boundaries… I’ll be changing the password to my phone until further notice,” Bruce said after a while of complete silence.

Feeling a bit vindictive, Dick said, “Fine… I’ll change mine too.”

Bruce sighed, attempting to hold onto his patience. “Alright then.” He eventually agreed, looking back at his laptop, feeling as though this conversation went nowhere. “I have to finish a bit of work before we go home. I hope you don’t mind waiting.”

“It’s fine. I’ll wait.” Dick pulled out his phone, already set on calling Jason back to check on Cassandra.

In a sense, Dick knew he was wrong but he let his ego and insecurities get the best of him. If at any point he saw a way to get rid of Selina completely, he would try his hardest to do so. He didn’t understand where this malice for her was coming from, but Dick didn’t mind. He would revel in this feeling until she faded from Bruce’s life entirely.

~*~

“Hey, Wally… I know it’s been a while and I can see you’ve texted me quite a lot… um… I have a lot of explaining to do and I want to tell you everything… call me back soon."

Dick ended the voicemail, his screen going back to the messaging app. The last text being from three months ago…

[Wally]: _“This is going to sound like a weird break up line but I gotta be frank with you. I can’t say I’m not worried but I feel like I’m wasting my time trying to figure out where you are. If you’re still alive by the time I turn 50, give me a call.”_

Dick had left almost ten messages since he got back but he received no response. He thought about going to Wally’s apartment but he didn’t want to face him head-on just yet while looking like this. A simple text back would suffice, but, Dick hadn't gotten any of that. _Maybe Wally didn’t want to be his friend anymore after all._

A small whine pulled Dick’s attention away from his phone and toward Cassandra who was struggling with the clips on the pants hanger.

“Bring it here, Cass.”

Cassandra ran over and gave Dick the hanger. He’d managed to successfully teach Cassandra how to fold her clothes and put them into the drawers. Hanging up clothes were next. Dick tested the clip by squeezing it, seeing that even for him, it was a bit hard to open. 

“Forget the pants, I’ll do that later. Let’s move to shirts, shall we?” Dick said, dropping the pants hanger and grabbing the one for shirts. "Which one do you want to hang up first?” He asked, glancing at the assorted piles laid out on the floor. He watched Cassandra sift through a few before pulling out a black glittery shirt.

“Alright,” Dick patted the spot next to him, making sure Cassandra safely crawled onto the bed before demonstrating. “You slip the sleeves through like this on both sides. Think you can do it?”

Cassandra nodded, waiting for Dick to pull off the shirt so she could try. Step by step, she promptly copied Dick, looking up to see if she did a good job.

“There you go,” Dick smiled, using an extra cheery voice. “You’re a quick learner. Now let's hang it up.” Dick slowly stood up from the bed and by the time he made it to the closet, Cassandra was already stepping onto her little stool and hanging up the shirt by herself.

“Good job, Cass! High five.” He put both hands up, feeling Cassandra return the action. Right after, Dick nuzzled their noses together, making Cassandra giggle before she placed her hands over her mouth, looking down in guilt. Dick moved away, having seen her make this face before when she thought she did something wrong. _Did she get punished just for laughing?_

“You won’t get in trouble.” Dick knocked their foreheads together. “You can laugh as much as you want. You know why?”

She shook her head.

“Because you have the prettiest little laugh I’ve ever heard.”

Cassandra wrapped her arms around Dick’s neck, nuzzling her cheek against his as a childish way to scent mark him. She’d been doing that as of late, more so after Dick started smelling that other mysterious scent. _Could she somehow smell it too?_

“Dickie.” Jason intruded, leaning against the doorframe of the closet. “Can you at least give me some type of an idea?”

“Jason, again?”

Stepping inside, Jason gave a half shrug. “I’ve never been good at picking out birthday gifts.”

“Jay, I have no idea what I want.” Having grown tired of standing, Dick left Cassandra to finish her tasks while he went to sit on the bed. “Just get me something you think I will like.”

Jason sighed, sitting down next to Dick. “Look, I’m a little behind here in terms of knowing everything you like.”

Dick raised a brow. “Have you not been paying attention?”

“Sorta… not… really.”

Dick tilted his head, giving the alpha a scrutinizing expression.

“Don’t give me that look. It’s not like you've been paying attention to me either?” Jason grumbled poutingly.

“Actually, I have.” Dick nodded matter of factly. “More than I need to.”

Jason straightened up, a smirk appearing as he sought to test Dick. “What do I like to do in my spare time?”

“Read books and play video games.”

“Favorite food?”

“Hamburgers, chili dogs, all the Americanized food basically.”

Jason huffed, his smirk turning into a tender smile. “You’re good. Now, what’s my favorite month?”

Dick’s face twisted into thought and after a period of complete silence, Jason’s smirk returned.

“I knew you couldn’t--”

“Wait.” Dick held up a finger. “...It would have to be the months starting from July to the beginning of October. Oh, and I can’t forget December but we’re not there yet.”

“Why do you say that?” 

“Those are the only months I haven’t fully spent with you yet.”

“For fucks sake, Dickie.” Jason couldn't help but burst into hysterics. “You’re the only one I know that would joke about the time you were gone.” Jason almost said in captivity but he thought that would be a little too specific. 

Dick shrugged, “Well, you asked and I gave an honest answer.”

“It’s August.”

“Your birthday month, I figured. But don’t worry, I won’t forget. I’ve already stored it in my mind.” Dick tapped his forehead.

Jason’s face skewered into that of self-reproach. “Now I feel guilty for not paying attention to the things you like, but I’m just not one to notice stuff like that.”

“I think it’s time you do. It’ll help in the future once you’ve found a mate.” Dick patted Jason’s lap. “Don’t worry though, I'm not picky. I’ll take anything really…” He looked down, soon confessing, “It’s been a while since someone’s actually cared enough about my birthday to even ask me what I want.”

“...What did they usually do?” Jason dared to ask, unsure if Dick was willing to talk about DS.

“Absolutely nothing.” Dick’s laugh was frigid. “It was just one of those, ‘you’re twenty-one now so you can get into clubs for assassin jobs’ kinda thing.” His smile turned bitter. “Half the time, I didn’t even know it was my birthday until I was allowed to look at the date- which wasn’t a lot.”

“That’s insane...”

“Yeah…” Dick let out a breath, placing a hand on his stomach, smiling a bit. “So whatever you get me, is fine. I don’t have a preference. I’ll appreciate anything.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Jason stated, looking off to the side at Cassandra in the closet, mumbling, “Listen, I’m not really good at the comfort thing but, if you, y’know… wanna talk, just know I’m here.”

“I don’t need comfort.” Dick smiled over at Jason, reaching up to ruffle his hair. “Just you listening is fine.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Tim walked through the door with a small frown. “Are you telling secrets?”

“Who wants to know?” Jason questioned, seeing Tim crawl onto the bed and eventually wrap his arms around Dick’s shoulders from behind.

“I’m the only one you’re supposed to tell secrets too.” Tim pouted, resting his chin on top of Dick’s head.

“Tim,” Dick rolled his eyes. “You _are_ the only one I tell my secrets to.”

“Then what were you and Jason talking about?”

“You aren’t his only confidant, Timmy. Remember, I was the only one Dick talked to when you didn’t even like him.”

“Don’t bring that up,” Tim complained. “That part of my life doesn’t count. Dick likes me the most now.”

“Wanna bet?”

“Guys, guys,” Dick shrugged Tim off of his shoulders. “As much as I like being fought over, it’s really nothing to fuss about. This is for me. You should both be glad that I’m opening up more no matter which one of you I’m talking to.” At least that was what he was trying to do. It was still hard talking about his past but at least he was starting somewhere.

Tim sat back on his haunches. “Fine, I’ll accept it for now but I still wanna know what you were talking about later.”

Dick sighed. “Okay, enough of this. Cass, let's go eat.” Jason, readily helped Dick stand up as Cassandra ran into the room to grab his hand. 

When they left the room, Jason lagged behind Dick a bit, walking next to Tim. “Hey, Timmy.”

“Yeah?”

“What’s… what’s your favorite color?”

Tim frowned, almost offendedly responding. “Shouldn’t you already know that?”

Jason shrugged awkwardly. “Didn’t it change over the years?”

“It’s green, you idiot and it always has been.” Tim lightly nudged him. “Anything else you wanna all of a sudden know?”

“There’s plenty and this time, I’ll remember.”

.

.

.

“I don’t plan on killing anyone while I’m a part of the clan,” Tim announced, startling everyone at the dinner table. Already hating the attention, Tim chose to stare at his plate of take-out pasta. He felt the need to hide his arms behind his back too, regretting that he didn’t wear long sleeves today. “It’s just an FYI.” He added, taking a quick peek at the three sets of eyes pointed his way before looking down at his food.

“I understand your decision.” Bruce spoke first, and even without looking up, Tim knew he was wearing that ‘supportive dad’ look. Nor did he have to look up to feel Dick’s distress rising.

“I’m sorry, Tim, this is my faul--”

“It’s not your fault.” Tim quickly countered, glancing up just in time to see Dick slumping back in his chair. He was wearing that withered look; that look of self-blame and before Tim could send out soothing pheromones, Cassandra beat him to the punch. “I chose this…” Tim gulped at the images of Rose flickering across his memory. “I made this decision on my own terms.” Tim couldn’t even think about killing another person. The thought of the bloody mess it caused made him sick.

“I agree,” Jason said. “He can’t even watch action movies anymore.”

“Don’t bring that up.” Tim softly snapped back. “I’m fine. I just wanted to let you all know. Let's end the conversation now.” Ignoring the awkward silence he caused, Tim went back to eating, and thankfully, Bruce started up another topic. The subjects moved from buying the cat to nursery room ideas to Jason applying for internships. At that, Tim jumped back into the conversation, bringing up another thing he’d been thinking about as of late.

“I still plan on going to school in the spring after the winter break is over.” Tim smiled a bit, for going to Princeton and getting out on his own was actually something he was looking forward to.

“Sounds like a good idea.” Bruce praised. “We’ll have to get you registered.”

“Are you sure…” Dick said, eyes crinkling with confliction. “Are you sure you don't want to take a longer break? I mean-”

“I'm fine.” Tim swiftly defended. “I don’t want to waste any more time. I want to go.”

Dick set down his cup, uttering, “...I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Tim blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t want anything to happen while we’re not there,” Dick stated, pinning Tim with a solemn stare. “I think you should attend the university in Gotham.”

“Um…” Tim huffed an incredulous laugh. _Dick wasn’t actually being serious, right?_ “I’m going to Princeton, Dick.”

“Tim, you faint as soon as you see blood.” Dick’s distress was rising again. “And Slade is still out there somewhere. Anything could happen when we’re not around and it’s too far away for-”

“Princeton is just a few hours away, Dick. I’ve been ready to go since the beginning of this summer. I want to do this.” Tim was desperate.

“No,” As though Dick had ended the conversation on his own, he went back to eating and it caught Tim off guard. “You’ll stay here. Where we can all watch out for one another.”

Tim gave a soft frown. “But I-”

“You’re not going anywhere, Tim.” Dick firmly reaffirmed

“Dick,” Bruce said, catching his mates attention. “You’re being a bit too unreasonable about this.” 

“But I don’t think it’s safe for him to go.” Dick briefly explained

“This is Tim’s decision.”

“But I need him here,” Dick argued further, glancing at Tim with a hopeful gaze. “You’ll stay here with us, won’t you?”

“Dick. We’ve talked about you overstepping your boundaries.” Bruce started to contend once more, thinking back to the texting situation.

“What boundaries? All I asked was that Tim stay with us, where it’s safe. What’s so wrong with that?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that but it’s not your decision.”

Tim watched them argue back and forth and even though he wanted to say so many things, he wasn’t going to. He knew Dick was struggling with some... irrationalities and as much as they affected him, they affected the family too. Tim didn’t want to hurt Dick. That was the last thing he wanted to do and he was feeling conflicted about saying the inevitable, “I’ll… stay.” 

Dick turned away from Bruce with a smile already set in place, sitting up a bit straighter. “That’s good then. See, what did I tell you, Bruce? Tim knows that staying here is safer.”

Bruce sighed.

Dick kept smiling at his little brother. “Tim, you’re going to have fun going to school with Jay. And we’ll also get to nest together all the time. It’ll be great.”

“Yeah… I can’t wait.” Tim forced himself to smile and hid his emotions.

“Well,” Dick set down his plastic fork. “I’m going to get Cass ready for bed. Thanks for the food, Bruce. Goodnight guys.” 

Tim didn’t look up to see Dick guide Cassandra out of the room and Bruce waited until he left to say anything.

“Tim, I’m sorry. I know how much you wanted this.”

“No, it’s okay. I know no one wants to disappoint Dick. Besides, I’m more worried about Dick’s mental health than I am about going to Princeton.” Tim didn’t lie but it wasn’t the full truth either. He’d just have to get over it. 

“No, this isn’t right.” Bruce reaffirmed. “I’ll have to talk with him later.”

~*~

“There we go.” Dick patted Cassandra’s blanket. “Are you comfortable?”

Cassandra nodded, hugging the kitty plushie closer to her chest. Dick was surprised to find that Jason was the one that bought it for her, but it was no less appreciated.

“Do you want the light on or off?”

She shook her head, prompting Dick to turn off the lamp, seeing Cassandra turn on her side and face the light coming from the hallway. “You’re such a brave girl.” He praised, nuzzling her nose. “How do you sign ‘goodnight’ again?” Dick watched her assuredly move her hands, performing a motion that Dick had been learning as well. “Good job, Cass. Tim is a good teacher, isn’t he?”

Cassandra nodded, followed by a soft yawn and Dick could do nothing but smile. 

“Sweet dreams, Cass.” Dick placed a small kiss on her forehead, taking a whiff of her lovely scent before standing up. He left the door cracked just a bit and wandered across the hallway into his temporary bedroom. He found Bruce sitting up against the headboard, glancing away from the book in his hand, to see Dick closing the door.

“Did you manage to successfully tuck her in?” Bruce dog-eared a page and closed his book, setting it on the nightstand.

Dick nodded. “She seemed pretty tired today. I think she’ll actually stay in her own bed this time. We’ll just have to see.”

“She’s a sweet girl. She reminds me of Tim when he was younger.”

“Too bad she’s still not used to you yet,” Dick answered when he reached his side of the bed. “Hopefully it doesn’t take a year like it did for Tim to warm up to you.”

Bruce sighed. “It seems she has a harder time warming up to Alpha’s.”

“It’s understandable. Considering her family history.” Dick pulled back the blankets and laid down on the soft mattress. “All Jason did was turn on some cartoons and give her extra snacks for two weeks straight and she was won over.”

Bruce leaned over Dick once he was settled. “Looks like I’ll have to try harder.”

“Don’t worry, she’ll come to like you soon enough.” With reassurance, Dick kissed Bruce’s lips, pulling back only to lean forward and kiss him again. This time, melting into the lazy kiss, relenting in what Dick enjoyed the most. And in a matter of seconds, Dick was slipping his tongue into Bruce’s mouth, silencing the alpha completely.

To confess that Dick had been a little horny lately was an understatement. He was extremely horny, and though he was timid about showing his body, he always let Bruce know when he was ready to go further. Unfortunately for him, as of late, Bruce had been reluctant to reciprocate his lust.

“Dick,” Bruce grumbled into his mouth, his forehead lightly bumping Dick’s in an attempt to pull back but stay close at the same time.

“Mm?” Dick hummed against his alpha’s lips after capturing them again. Casually, he ran a hand down Bruce’s clothed chest until it met the waistband of his pajama pants.

“Dick, wait.” Bruce pulled back fully and held Dick’s wandering hand in place.

“What is it?” Dick questioned, shocked to see Bruce moving back to his side of the bed.

“I’m a little tired tonight.”

With some struggle, Dick sat up, giving Bruce a look. “You said that the other night too.”

“I know but I’ve been at work all day and…” Bruce seemed to hesitate, attempting to find the right words. “I’m just not up for it tonight.”

A pang of hurt shot through Dick’s heart. “Are you… are you not attracted to me anymore?”

Bruce immediately realized his mistake. “No, that’s not it.”

“Then why won’t you have sex with me? Lately, you won’t go any further than kissing.” Dick turned away, feeling self-conscious about his nonexistent eye. “I knew it. You’ve been lying to me all this time by saying that I’m beautiful.”

“Dick.” Bruce drew near, reaching out to comfort his distressed mate. “I wasn’t lying when I said you were beautiful.”

“Then why won’t you touch me?”

“I just… I just want to talk about some things before we move forward.” Bruce admitted as gently as he could. He had to be cautious of the things he said around Dick as to not offend him.

“So... you still love me?”

Bruce should have seen this coming. “Dick, we’ve talked about this--”

“I need you to do this for me, Bruce. I need to hear you say it... please.” Dick begged. “Because if you do love me then have sex with me. Prove it to me.”

“Dick, I have some things I need to tell you first.” Bruce grabbed Dick’s chin, lightly turning Dick’s face so they were looking at one another. “I wanted to wait until things settled down a bit. I think right now is a good time.” Bruce was adamant with his decision and Dick knew there was no way of getting out of this. “First, let's talk about Tim going to college.”

“He said he wouldn’t, what more is there to talk about?” 

“You had an impact on his answer,” Bruce stated, pulling his hand away. “You as well as I could see that he really wanted to go.”

“Tim won’t be sad about it forever. Staying here is better for him.”

“You’re speaking on his behalf again, Dick,” Bruce said, watching Dick frown in confusion.

“Bruce,” Dick laughed like what the alpha said was unbelievable. “I don’t think it’s that big of a deal besides, he wants to do more research on the enhancer. Wouldn’t it be better to stay home so he can do that?”

“I know that you’re worried about him but I think you need to consider his feelings.”

Dick shook his head. “Tim and I have gotten really close. We depend on one another. I need him. I’m not ready to lose that and I’m sure Tim isn’t either.” 

“Alright, let's just discuss that later.” Bruce sighed, knowing this was going nowhere while at the same time, not knowing how he was going to bring up his previous doubt. He might as well take a chance and carry it to completion. “I also have something else to tell you.”

Dick had this nagging feeling that it was about that video and if it was, he’d rather stay far away from discussing it. Even so, it was inevitable that they would make it to this point. All he could do now was hope that whatever Bruce had to say wouldn’t hurt him.

“I’m listening.”

“Dick,” Bruce gulped, readying himself. “You’re not going to like what I have to say but you deserve to know the truth because I promised to never lie to you again. It’s about when you left… after I saw that video.”

“What about it?” Dick answered, already averting his eyes.

“Well, I... made some poor decisions- had some bad thoughts.”

“I understand that you would feel sad about it.” Dick sympathized in the best way he could but the sinking feeling in his gut made it hard for him to care. _He actually didn’t care. He just wanted this to be over with._

“It’s more than that, Dick.”

Dick held his tongue, waiting for Bruce to reveal his woes.

“I-I compared you.” Bruce faltered for a second before letting everything out. “I compared your worth to... Selina’s. And I doubted you. I questioned your sincerity, your authenticity- if you were faking everything during our time together. I questioned my trust for you; I questioned our entire relationship to the point where I questioned if I should bond with you again-”

The slap was loud when it cracked across Bruce’s cheek and as if Dick didn’t get it right the first time, a jaw numbing punch followed right after. With a grunt, Bruce used the bed as leverage to balance himself, as black dots spotted his wide-eyed vision. Bruce barely even had time to steady himself before Dick started yelling.

“You don’t get to doubt me, Bruce!” Dick popped the knuckles of his stinging hand, hissing a bit. “You don’t get to doubt me or even think about not recreating our bond then say you love me in the same mouth.” 

Bruce massaged his jaw, blinking to clear his vision only to see his pregnant mate ablaze in furry.

“You don’t get to have that over me. You don’t deserve it!” Dick stood up from the bed, wanting to be as far away from Bruce as he could.

“Dick I-”

“This is all that it boils down to. First, you used me to get over Selina, we fight and then you tell me that you’re over her, and now you somehow have the audacity to compare my worth to her?”

“I didn’t use-”

“You did! You used me.”

“Dick-”

“Back then, I was vulnerable and I was confused.” Dick cut him off a second time, proceeding to break everything down. “I let my feelings get the best of me, I let myself be drawn into your life because I didn’t understand what I was doing. I felt like I wanted you because you were my soulmate and I thought you could take the pain away but I was wrong. So far, you’ve only made it worse with your lies and now your doubts.”

Dick took a deep breath and when he was finally able to look Bruce’s way, he scowled, for he was truly fed up with everything.

“I may have lied to you too but mine were different.” Dick’s proclamation seemed to confuse Bruce at first until he realized the truth about his accusations. “When I finally got around to telling the truth, _my truths_ always benefited your happiness. With my virginity, my pregnancy, and when I finally told you a little bit about my past. But your truths never did that for me, your truths about Selina have always hurt me. I mean what made you doubt me so much that you fell back so hard into mourning her again?”

“There were more videos of you…”

“And what did those videos make you think, Bruce?” Dick spoke as if he were talking to a child.

Bruce's expression closed up with remorse as he revealed, “That you've killed without an order before. That you’ve willfully killed someone innocent.”

Dick pursed his lips and nodded, almost laughing out loud. “What do you think, Bruce? You think that’s true?”

“...I don’t know- no, I don’t.” He quickly corrected himself.

Dick let out a harsh breath, pacing a bit. “Of course I have.” He easily admitted. “I’ve killed without an order before. Multiple times.” Dick stopped and stared at Bruce, his eyes blank, nearly chilling. “Do you hate me now since you got your answer?”

“...I could never hate you.”

“That’s good to hear.” Dick turned away, suddenly feeling weak and tired as he made his way over to the window seat. “Just so you know, I’ve only done it to protect myself. Never with malicious intent, but I guess you never thought about it like that?”

“I misjudged you, Dick and I’m sorry.”

“I know you’re sorry…” Dick sat down, taking another deep breath, trying to calm down. He could also smell that scent again but like always, he ignored it. “...but I’m tired of hearing you say sorry, especially when it comes to her.”

Bruce moved to sit on the edge of the bed, facing his mate. “If I could take it back-”

“That’s the problem. You can’t take it back. You can never take back how you felt in that moment. You can never take back how you completely disregarded me and everything we had” Dick rested a hand on his swollen belly, gazing upon his current state.

“In the beginning, I didn’t want this child, Bruce. But I’ve come to terms with it. Having Cassandra here helped.” Dick looked up at his alpha. “Did you ever stop to think about that? To think about my feelings and what I was going through? I’m the one carrying _your_ pup. Me, here and now. And I’ve been through hell and back doing so.” Dick soothingly rubbed his stomach, watching Bruce’s eyes peer at his middle.

“I did think about your feelings and our pup. I knew those thoughts were wrong but after seeing Selina I…” Bruce went quiet, sighing softly. “All I can say is that I’m trying, Dick. For more than two months now, I have been. I regret doubting you, so much so, that I’ve gotten rid of everything that reminded me of her.” He gestured to the direction of the master bedroom. “I’m trying as hard as I can to move forward; to actively move forward.”

“Move forward? For what?”

Bruce didn’t know how to assess that frosty sneer Dick was giving him but he answered anyway. “To get over her. To move on.”

“Bruce, how long have you been with me? And you wait till I’m gone to get over her?” 

The question made Bruce slump with even more remorse.

“You’ve had all this time. And it’s sad to see my pup’s father obsessing over some dead woman when I’m right here in front of you- waiting for you to commit only to me… I’m the one pregnant with your pup. Selina isn’t. I’m your mate. She never was.” Dick spoke bluntly, harshly, and softly sneered every word that followed after. “She’s not here anymore, Bruce… she’s gone… she’s dead forever… and you'll never see her again.” 

Bruce visibly grimaced, frowning, glowering, trying to understand why Dick was being so spiteful. 

Huffing softly, Dick stood up once more, feeling an unnatural sense of heaviness overcome him. _Was he that stressed out to feel this weak?_ It was then he noticed that the unusual scent hadn’t disappeared.

“Dick…” Bruce looked at his mate, staggeringly standing up. “Are you alright?”

Ignoring the scent and Bruce’s question, Dick continued. “I admit, you gained some of my trust back just enough for me to even consider you an option for being Cassandra’s parent. Now all of that trust is gone. Because just like everyone else did, you compared me to her and you doubted me. So easy too, as if we haven't spent time together. As if I wasn’t pregnant... I’m done moving forward, Bruce.” Slower than usual and feeling even weaker, Dick started forward towards the door.

Bruce quickly stood up. “Dick, wait.” 

“No.”

“Dick listen to me.” Bruce gently grabbed Dick’s wrist. “Just hear me out.”

Dick yanked his wrist away, swaying a bit. “I don’t want to…” 

“You’re right,” Bruce spoke frantically, moving so he was in front of his omega. “I'm the one that created that bond and took advantage of your feelings when I wasn’t over Selina yet. I was stupid and selfish and you didn’t deserve any of that. But, I'm trying.”

To that, Dick only looked away, but Bruce continued.

“It's been some years since I've been to therapy but I’ve finally started going back and working to correct things.” Bruce moved in closer, grabbing Dick’s hands. “It’s because I fell for you. My love for you is real. That’s something I can promise you and I don’t want to ruin what we have.”

Trying to actively ignore this strange scent, Dick slowly but surely returned his focus to his alpha’s grave expression.

“Give me one more chance to prove to you that this won’t happen again,” Bruce begged desperately. “I will never choose her over you again. I'll love you wholeheartedly and do everything in my power to never hurt you again…” Bruce raised Dick’s right hand, lovingly kissing the back of it. “...Just one more chance… that’s all I ask.”

Dick stared lifelessly at Bruce’s sincere expression threatening to pull him back in quicker than he wanted to. He… loved Bruce, or at least he thought he did… In truth, he wanted to love Bruce but he was hurting. His heart was breaking at the thought of having to ever go through this situation again. No matter how much Bruce's emotions proved his love for Dick to be true, he could no longer trust him.

The thought made him feel tired; tired enough to go and sit down on the love seat in front of the bed. Bruce didn’t follow him, for it was evident he couldn’t force the situation. But if there was an event that made Dick believe in Bruce’s words; if there was one instance where he’d seen evidence of Bruce actually trying to change, it would be the same event that would make Dick stay.

“You went back…” Dick tapered off, breathing heavier, deeper due to his growing weakness. “You went back into that burning building. It was collapsing but you still went back and retrieved Rose’s body. You didn’t question me nor did you hesitate... You held her body to your chest; you held the same person who killed your lover and unborn child.” Dick looked up at Bruce, looking at the man he didn’t truly want to leave but if he had to, he would. 

“Without that as proof of you having even tried to move on, I wouldn’t even be sitting here right now... That’s why I’ll give you one more chance… just _one more chance_.” Dick restated, making sure Bruce knew this was the last time. “And if you hurt me again with this Selina stuff, I’m leaving. And I’m taking my pups with me.”

Bruce went still. “Dick, _our_ child…”

“No.” Dick shook his head, weakly glaring at his alpha. “Mine. If you hurt me again, then this baby is mine.”

Bruce didn’t respond, he simply clenched his fist and looked aside.

“And Bruce, let me tell you something.” Dick started again, feeling his eyes grow heavy as the strange scent grew stronger. “You don’t get to decide when we will create another bond. _I do_. I decide.”

Before long and with a curt nod, Bruce agreed. “It’s your call from now on.” Bruce sauntered over to the couch and bent to a knee, grabbing one of Dick’s hands. “I love you and I promise I’ll do better. ” He kissed Dick’s hand once more, glancing up to see his omega looking weary. “Are you okay? You look tired.”

“I feel…” Dick blinked slowly. “I feel weak. This entire time I have... I don’t know why.”

Bruce placed a palm on Dick’s forehead, resting it there for a while. “You have a fever. This is my fault- I shouldn’t have stressed you out.”

“No, that’s not it.” Dick could hear his voice growing dimmer and felt his body give way to the couch behind him, his head lolling to the side.

“Dick.” Startled, Bruce sat next to him, maneuvering Dick so that he was laying against his chest. Seeing Dick looking like this had Bruce recalling how he hung up on Dr. Dundee. He forgot to call him back once he got home.

“Do you... smell that?” Dick was finding it harder to talk, his senses becoming cloudy.

“Smell what? I don’t smell anything.” Bruce felt his forehead again, hoping that he was hallucinating when his skin burned hotter than before. “We need to get you to the hospital.”

Dick suddenly groaned, swiftly placing a hand on the left side of his stomach. “It hurts.” He groaned again, louder this time. “It hurts, Bruce. What's happening?”

“Shit,” Bruce muttered, having already pulled out his phone to call--

All at once, a powerful scent blasted forth, swaying Dick’s consciousness until he passed out, leaving Bruce in an equally weakened state. The scent was damn near mind-numbing as it burned Bruce’s nose, making it harder for him to breathe but even he couldn’t deny the potency of it. It was Prime and it was an _Alpha’s._

“Bruce!” Jason abruptly opened the door, making a weak attempt at walking across the room without falling over, for the strong scent was draining his strength as well. “What’s happening?” He leaned against the armrest, holding his nose and trying to speak normally. “Fuck, where’s t-that smell coming from?”

“I don’t know,” Bruce growled, growing anxious at his mate’s unconsciousness. “W-we need to get Dick to the…” Bruce was struggling to talk as well. Compared to Tim’s, this scent was completely unbearable and Bruce was growling at his own incompetence.

Across the hall, the door creaked and Jason and Bruce watched Cassandra calmly approach. 

“Cass, everything’s okay, go back to bed,” Jason said weakly.

Cassandra ignored him, and without warning let out an equally strong scent, causing both regular Alphas to wince.

“Fuck, th-that’s strong.” Jason strained, moving away to lean against the wall. Bruce had to hold his breath too, sensing Cassandra’s growing hostility as her pheromones battled against the other Prime Alpha’s. She snarled softly, doing so with her eyes strangely pointed at Dick’s belly, her scent expanding and draining enough to subvert their attention. No one saw Tim place himself at the door, watching the scene from afar and by the time they did, the foreign pheromones started to diminish little by little until Cassandra stopped growling all together.

“I’m sorry.” A trembling voice said, bringing light to Tim standing at the threshold of the door, tears streaming down his face. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry...”

“Tim,” Bruce frowned, slowly regaining his strength, looking down at his unconscious mate. “What did you do?”

“The enhancer…” Tim trembled, looking at Dick’s limp body, the guilt he felt threatening to make him puke. “I- It was Slade… Slade, he...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if these chapters are too long.


	41. Lies and Exhaustion

10 Years Ago

_Selina let her fingers run across the desk, delicately, almost playfully, snatching up the brochure Bruce had gotten from Haly’s circus. Staring at the already open page, featuring none other than ‘The Flying Graysons,’ Selina brought a brand new lighter to one of the creasing edges and watched the fire ignite in approx to her manicured nails._

_“Selina, you have a meeting with the execs in Brazil this weekend.”_

_Selina peered over at her cell phone that had been put on speaker. “I'm aware.” Her gaze sharply narrowed at the black specks of paper falling onto the ground. “When have I ever not been up to date, dad?”_

_“Never, of course. I raised you better than that.”_

_“Shouldn't you be in a meeting as of right now?” Selina now held the paper by its upper edge, observing the image of 'that' circus child’s face burning away little by little._

_“In a few. But before I forget, make sure and bring Holly with you. Recently, the execs down there have been suspicious of us, and Holly’s a good consultant so you’ll need her.”_

_“I’ll tell Holls later.”_

_“Then I'll talk to you tonight.”_

_“Have a good meeting, dad.”_

_The call ended and with the entirety of the Grayson boy’s face being set ablaze. Selina then blew away the fire, stuffing what was leftover into her pocket before leaving the office._

_Jason looked up from his homework when Selina entered the dining room._

_“Tell Bruce I’ll be back later tonight.”_

_Jason gave a confused frown. “But you’re supposed to be watching us.”_

_The leather of her jacket creaked as she patted down her clothing, before facing the mirror above the decorative console table. “I’m aware of that, sweetie.” She fluffed out her hair, running a thumb under her bottom lip to seize any excess lipstick. “That’s why I called Kate to come and watch you and Jim.”_

_“His name is Tim.”_

_“Right, Tim.” Deciding her lips weren’t red enough, Selina pulled out a tube of red lipstick and began applying another coat. “Speaking of names, for a while now, I’ve been thinking that you look more like a Brad or maybe even a Liam?”_

_“... It’s Jason.”_

_Selina peered at the boy through the mirror, seeing his frown deepen. “Don’t fret, sweetie. You know how I like to play around with you precious little angels.”_

_Jason looked back at his homework._

_“Anyhow, Kate should be here soon.” Selina recapped her lipstick and comfortably propped her behind on the dining room table, crossing her legs. “I_ _would looove to watch you angels but I have some business to attend to.” Selina looked over her shoulder, expecting the kid to ask her where she was going, surprisingly she got nothing._

_“Are you still mad at me for butchering Tim’s name?”_

_“No, I’m doing my homework.” He spoke shortly, not looking up._

_“Who needs homework when your dad is one of the richest men in the world?” Selina gave a small laugh. “Listen, sweetie, school is useless for a rich kid like you. Drop out while you can.”_

_“I can’t.”_

_“Wait until you’re older then. I dropped out when I was a junior in high school and I’m getting paid by the buttload at my dad's company. You could do the same.”_

_“I kinda like school.”_

_“To each his own I guess.” Selina shrugged. “You know Jason, I think we had a good talk today. I think we made a connection. What do you say? Don’t you know me a little better now?”_

_Jason gave a half shrug. “I guess.”_

_Before Selina could respond, the doorbell rang. “Finally.” She jumped down from the table and practically sped walked to the door as quickly as she could._

_“Kate!” As soon as she opened the door, Selina threw her arms around the other omega, squeezing tight. “You don’t know how glad I am to see you.”_

_“I told you not to call me that,” Kathy said softly, flinching when she heard the car horn blow from behind her._

_“Hands off, bitch!”_

_Selina looked over Kathy’s shoulder, seeing Kathy’s mate sitting in the driver's seat. And her name? Well, Selina never cared enough to remember. Or perhaps she was just bad at remembering names altogether._

_“Fuck off!” Selina yelled back, throwing her the middle finger._

_“Stop Selina… please.” Selina looked down at the very soft-spoken Kate._

_“Kate!”_

_Kate flinched again, this time turning around._

_“I’ll be back at seven. You better be ready by then!” Immediately after, the white convertible screeched off down the driveway, almost hitting the gate as she turned onto the road._

_“What a bitch.” Selina followed Kate inside the Manor, locking the door behind her. “Tell me why you’re with her again, Kate?”_

_Kate stopped midstep, turning so Selina could finally look upon her shaggy appearance. Since being mated, she always wore baggy clothes with her hair in an unkempt mess of a bun. Selina could tell it was damaged, especially with how much dye she put into it. Every time the black dye wore off, showing her natural auburn hair she would dye it again. Apparently, her mate didn’t like her original color._

_“Don’t call me that,” Kate said softly._

_“Kate, Kathrine, Kathy, whichever.” Selina put an arm around the other omega’s shoulder. “Listen, love, if she’s gotten you to the point of not liking the sound of your own name, please tell me why you’re still with her?”_

_Kathy ignored her and pushed her arm off before walking toward the living room. “Tim. Jay.” She called in a low voice that wasn’t loud enough for anyone in this massive house to hear._

_“One of them’s in the dining room.” Selina pointed out. “The small one, I think he was in his bedroom? Or maybe he was in the library?”_

_Kate side-eyed her. “You haven’t been watching them?”_

_“Scarcely.”_

_Kathy sighed and set down her bag on one of the couches. “You better hope Bruce doesn’t find out.” She muttered, heading toward the dining room._

_“It’s not like they complain or anything. I think they like having a bit of alone time since Bruce likes to keep them active with family games when he comes home.”_

_“That’s not the point, Selina. One of them is eleven and the other is only seven. They need constant supervision.” Kate pushed open the door to the dining room, relieved to see that both Tim and Jason were sitting at the dinner table._

_“There’s the little one,” Selina said, earning a blank stare from Tim._

_“Hello darlings,” Kate bent down to hug Jason, then Tim. “Did you guys have lunch yet?”_

_“No,” Tim said, pouting a bit, instantly blaming. “She didn’t give us any food.”_

_“She didn’t?” Kathy gave Selina another side-eyed stare._

_“Way to blame me.” Selina huffed an annoyed sigh. “Anyways, I’m out of here. Thanks, Kate- I mean Kathy, for coming by.”_

_"Selina, can we talk real quick?"_

_"Sure. Hopefully, on our way to the garage." Selina said, already in the process of walking off and when they made it to the garage Kate didn’t waste any time lecturing her._

_"Did you tell Bruce I was coming?"_

_"No, but it shouldn't matter. He doesn't care when you visit." Selina grabbed her motorcycle helmet from the bike handle._

_"That's not the problem Selina.” Kathy folded her arms. “Bruce left you to watch the children while Alfred is taking some vacation time. I can’t be here every time you want to abandon them."_

_"Kate, how come it's all of a sudden my responsibility to watch these children Bruce just randomly decided to adopt. We break up for one year and he decides to bring children into the mix?”_

_"He was thinking about adopting for years now and you knew that. He said you agreed since you didn't want to have children yourself. Whether you want them or not doesn't mean you get to treat them badly."_

_"I haven't been treating them badly. I've been perfectly good towards those angels." Selina said mockingly. "Look, I'll even bring them some souvenirs from my next trip. They'll like me plenty after receiving some gifts."_

_"You’re going out of town again?"_

_"To Brazil this time."_

_"But why?"_

_"For work," Selina spoke shortly before throwing a leg over the seat, already wanting to go._

_"The drug isn't even distributed outside of the U.S and you still have to travel out of town?" Kate argued, moving to stand next to the bike. "Selina… you're one of my best friends so I know when you're hiding something from me. Are you going out of town and cheating on Bruce?" She whispered accusingly._

_"No.” Selina instantly rejected the idea. “I'm going out of town for business, Kate. Please stop making assumptions. If you really must know, in the near future, my father plans on making a global release. That’s why I’m going out of town to try and see which deal works the best.”_

_“I’m sorry for assuming it’s just…” Kathy let her arms fall to the side._

_“Kate, look at me.” Selina lifted her chin. “I know you’re worried about your cousin but you shouldn’t let your own situation affect how you think. When are you going to leave her? You’re twenty-three. You have your whole life ahead of you. It’s best to not suffer like this.”_

_“She’s not as bad as she used to be.”_

_Selina sighed, not wanting to have this conversation again. “Listen, I’ll be back by five and you're in desperate need for a touch-up- I’ll make your hair short like mine. Then you’ll be known as the second Cat.”_

_Kate laughed, touching the unkempt ends of her hair. “I’ll take whatever you give me, I guess.”_

_“I knew you’d like it. Okay, I’ll see you later then.”_

_“See ya.” Kathy stepped back, watching Selina put on her helmet and rev up her bike._

_“Oh, and by the way,” Selina voiced loudly. “I have someone I want to introduce the clan to next week. Her name’s Holly, and she’s an expert in combat. I know you guys will love her… hopefully.”_

~*~

_“It’s a... boy?”_

_“Yes. The ultrasound came back foggy in certain areas but you can clearly see that he’s developed scent glands.” Dr. Dundee explained._

_“That’s impossible…”_

_“It’s not…” Tim said. “That’s what’s supposed to happen. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”_

_“Timmy, relax. Breathe.” Jason urged._

_“...It seems he reacted to Dick’s distress.” The doctor continued._

_“But Dick is no longer in distress. Why can I still smell our pup's pheromones?” Bruce asked._

_“It may be that he’s trying to protect Dick from all threats.”_

_“...A threat? What threat?”_

_“Anything that causes Dick distress is the current threat.”_

_Bruce went quiet._

_“This ‘marking of its territory’ is basically creating a scent barrier. It happens a lot with people who’ve gone feral. And since going feral is a major part of a Prime’s nature, it’s easy for them to maintain their scent when a threat appears... Have you ever wondered why nature made it so that baby’s don’t present, Mr. Wayne?”_

_“Because they don't know how to control their pheromones.”_

_“Exactly. Right now, your pup is only acting upon instinct without taking any precautions.”_

_“Cassandra was able to calm him down though,” Jason said._

_Looking at Cassandra, the doctor was still trying to figure out why the scent wasn’t threatening her as well. Maybe it was because of the power imbalance? Maybe it was because Cassandra, at the time, was trying to protect Dick and didn’t seek to cause him any distress? Or it could be that they were simply both Prime Alphas. Whichever theory it was, Cassandra was unaffected by it all._

_“It may be that Cassandra is a stronger and more mature Prime Alpha. I think even the pup knows his pheromones can’t win against that.” The doctor concluded. “But it’s not safe for Dick to have both of those pheromones surrounding him. He is not Prime so her protection can only be a one-time thing.”_

_“You have Pheromone reducers, don’t you?” Bruce questioned. “Use them.”_

_“....Those are not made for babies, Mr. Wayne. If you want to avoid the risk of a miscarriage, Dick cannot take a reducer.”_

_“Then what else are we supposed to do!?”_

_“I can… I can fix this...” Tim uttered, becoming anxious._

_“Give him the reducer.” Bruce gave a soft growl. “If Dick dies--”_

_“Don’t say that!” Tim shouted. “He won’t! I can fix this… I just need time.”_

_“Let me be blunt here and say that this is now a high-risk pregnancy and his chances of survival are… slim.” Dr, Dundee finally admitted, hearing Tim shout again._

_“That’s not true!”_

_“I’m telling you the truth, Tim. I’m sorry if this hurts, but a regular Omega cannot give birth to a Prime Alpha that has already presented. They simply cannot bear the weight of a Prime Alpha’s pheromones. It’s against nature. It’s impossible.”_

Still and with his eyes closed, Dick gave a feeble groan, hearing the assorted voices quiet down. Dick was first aware of his burning skin, heavy body, and the encompassing of that unfamiliar scent. The scent was surrounding him completely as if to cage Dick in the borders of its protection. The feeling was nearly suffocating and yet peaceful in a way that didn’t ensue any worry. As unusual as it sounded, the foreign scent seemed as though it was made to guard him; it was made for him to depend on.

Dick opened his eyes, sluggishly blinking as his vision cleared away the spotted colors to be faced with his family’s troubled expressions. And strange enough, the disheveled-looking Bruce was the furthest away from everyone else. 

“Dickie?” Jason said, hesitantly stepping closer. “You okay? How do you feel?”

“Wha-?” Dick went quiet after hearing how soft and meaningless his voice sounded at that moment. He barely even recognized it with how weak it was. It took more energy for him to talk than it normally would. _What was happening to him?_

“What...” Dick tried again, this time attempting to sit up only to discover he could barely move his body with how weak he felt. “What happened?” He managed to say as he was forced to let his body sink back into the mattress.

No one said anything at first, only Cassandra seemed to respond to his voice by whimpering and snuggling closer to his side. Dick hadn’t noticed she was there in the beginning and it was then when he realized that his senses were numb. He could barely smell Cassandra's scent even though she was right there–let alone anyone else in the room. He could still see that the young alpha was troubled by the way she clung to him. Dick naturally lifted a hand to comfort his pup. Lamentably, his limbs now had a strange weight to it that he never had before and it was making it hard for him to even run his fingers through Cassandra’s hair. 

Dick narrowly glanced over at the four silent occupants, faintly saying. “Someone better speak up. And please tell me I’m not the only one who can smell this scent.”

Dr. Dundee cleared his throat, peering over at Tim before speaking. “I would like to be the first to say, congratulations, Dick. You're having a boy.”

As excited as Dick wanted to be about that revelation, he couldn’t be. Not when all of their expressions revealed that of nervous tension. “What's happening to my body? What’s this scent?”

The doctor straightened his glasses and looked down at his chart. “Concerning why I didn’t tell you the gender the last time I saw you was because the images were strangely hazy looking. I thought maybe it was the ultrasound machine acting up and I didn’t want to keep you long since you were anxious to get home.” Dick, didn’t miss the way the doctor glanced over at Tim a second time. “From further study, there seems to have been a… ‘chemical imbalance’ if that’s what I should call it?” He begged the question, sending Tim another quick glance as if to ask for help.

“What are you talking about?” Dick peered over at Tim too, trying to understand what was happening. And when Tim finally caught Dick staring at him, he looked down, uneasily picking at the loose strings of his sweater.

“The drug…” Tim bit his trembling lip. “...when administered it creates a murky substance which is probably why you couldn’t see the gender before. But now… since it's fully absorbed, you can see everything as clear as day.”

Before Dick could respond, the doctor spoke up.

“The scent you’re smelling, Dick is... is coming from your pup.” 

A sheen of uncertainty crossed Dick’s features, for he was having a hard time believing that. “A scent? How is that possible?”

“It seems your baby has developed scent glands that have reached maturity as of tonight. The scent, as I’m sure you can probably tell, is shielding you. This scent-like barrier is purely instinctive. Frankly speaking, your pup seems to be protecting you from experiencing any sort of distress while also trying to keep the threats away. And when a threat is near, his scent grows stronger and more hostile.”

A movement from across the room caught Dick’s attention. Seeing Bruce shift uncomfortably and lower his head in shame, focusing on anything and everything except for his mate.

“I’m sorry to say this, Dick but your pup is not able to fully control his pheromones which leaves you in a weakened state.” Dr. Dundee drew his brows together. “During birth, _especially_ , his pheromones will probably heighten more than you, a regular Omega, can handle.”

“So- so what are you saying? That I could... die?” Dick brought a trembling hand to his rounded middle, instinctively guarding his pup. “But how did this even happen? I don’t- I don’t understand. Babies aren’t supposed to present.” Dick turned to Tim, watching him wince when Dick addressed him. “Earlier… what drug were you talking about, Tim?”

Tim pressed his lips together, swallowing until the lump in his throat disappeared. “Slade.”

As soon as Tim said that name, Dick was thrown into distress, causing his pup's scent to strengthen by the heaps. _So it was like the doctor said_. His pup was really responding to his distress by trying to calm him down, but it was too much. The scent was too potent and it was making his already ailing limbs even weaker than before.

“What…” Dick breathed deeply. “What did he do to me?”

“He gave you the enhancer I made…” A few tears dripped down Tim’s cheeks. “...before I knew it worked, he tested it on you.” 

“You knew about this?” Dick questioned, seeing Tim go stiff.

“I… I didn’t know how to tell you so...”

“You, Tim?” Dick asked in disbelief, making sure that Tim was the one telling him this and not someone else. “You kept this from me? For this long?”

“I-I’m sorry, Dick.” Tim wiped his cheeks, shivering a bit as he tried to hold himself together. “With- with everything going on with your paranoia and C-PTSD, I didn’t want to make things worse.”

Dick closed his eyes and took another deep breath, willing himself to relax. “So you waited until I was admitted into the hospital to say something?”

Tim gave a shaky smile. “No, I-I just wanted you to be-”

“You wanted to save face. Is that it?” 

Tim shook his head, more tears slipping down his cheeks. “No, no, Dick that’s not it. I would never do that to you.” Tim moved closer causing the pup’s scent to expand further.

“Stay back, Tim,” Jason said softly, pulling Tim next to his side.

At the sight, Dick turned away, his distress vigorously conflicting with his pup’s soothing pheromones. “You didn’t know if this drug worked and decided that my mental health was more important than the safety of me and my pup? And now, Dr. Dundee is telling me I’m high risk with little chances of living?”

“I… I just-”

“I can’t believe you would hold this secret for so long… I trusted you, Tim.” Dick said weakly. “Out of everyone here, I trusted you the most.”

“Dick,” Tim wept, “I’m truly sorry. It wasn’t my intention to hurt you I just wanted… I was just worried about you.” The crying continued as Tim spoke. “I can fix this. I can make it so everything is alright. Just give me some time to come up with another formula so I can--”

“Get out.” Dick bit the words out softly.

“Dick…” Tim’s voice shivered with hope. “ _Please,_ I’m sorry-”

“Even without the fucking paranoia bullshit I would’ve reacted the same way if you’d just told me in the beginning!” Dick succeeded in shouting and instantly regretted it when the pup’s scent threatened to rupture his consciousness. It was trying to make him faint--as Bruce had done a few times before--but Dick forced himself to stay awake.

“It’s best that you try and not to cause him more distress.” Dr. Dundee warned but Tim ignored him.

“Dick, I didn’t mean--”

“I tell you everything, Tim.” He managed to keep speaking. “Every fucking thing. And you sat there in our nest acting as if Slade didn’t put some unknown substance in my body?” He watched Tim back away upon his pup finding a new threatening target. 

“Dickie, come on,” Jason spoke up. “I know it’s a bad situation but Timmy-”

“God, just stop. I can’t…” Dick cut him off and looked between Bruce and Tim, finding himself glaring at them both. It could’ve been the aid of his pup’s scent that influenced his sudden repugnance for the two or simply that all his faith for the people he wanted to love was constantly being stripped away. “I can’t trust any of you anymore… and I’m tired of even trying.” The words scraped out of his throat, trembling softly as the illusion of a normal life fell to pieces. “Just get out.” 

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry Dick, please forgive me.” Tim was struggling to keep his voice even. “It won’t happen again. I promise.”

Tim persisted and, naturally, Dick felt compelled to comfort his little brother; one of the only people he could say he truly cherished with all his heart. He knew how much Tim wanted forgiveness; he knew he wasn’t the one to blame for all of this. Despite that, Dick continued to ignore Tim’s sobbing. He couldn’t take any more lies; any more secrets. He was sick of it.

“Just please leave me alone…” Dick turned away, deciding he’d grown tired of seeing Tim’s face.

“I think it’s best that you all leave for now.” Dr. Dundee agreed, not wanting the pup's scent to grow any stronger than it already was. 

From behind him, Dick heard Tim whimper before frantic footsteps ran out of the room.

“Tim.” Jason quickly followed after.

“Dick, I--” Bruce started to say.

“You leave too, Bruce,” Dick said softly, really just wanting some peace and quiet. “Don’t think just because I gave you a second chance doesn’t mean I’m not still angry with you.” 

Bruce stood there and for a split second, Dick gave him a faulty stare that was filled with pitiless apathy. And even though it struck the alpha in many painful ways, Bruce saw it as a sign. This was Bruce’s last chance to make things right because as of this moment, there sat a fine line between Dick staying here or leaving. 

Dick almost left him earlier tonight. He definitely entertained the possibility during their fight. If Bruce hadn’t begged for Dick to give him one more chance, he wouldn’t even be in this room. Though, currently, his anger was spurred on by Tim’s lies. Dick didn’t trust any of them and perhaps that got the omega thinking again… considering his options.

_Was he going to leave the Wayne family for good?_

“Cass stays with me,” Dick said barely above a whisper, weakly pressing the whimpering alpha’s face into the crook of his neck. “Don’t cry, Cass.” Dick kissed the crown of her head and continued to stroke her hair. “I’m sorry for yelling. It’s alright, I’m going to be okay.”

Bruce watched the scene from afar, wanting to get closer but he already knew it was impossible. His own son didn’t even want him near. His own son thought of him as a threat and more than anything else, _that hurt the most…_

“We should leave Mr. Wayne.” Dr. Dundee insisted again, clapping a hand on Bruce’s back to lead him out of the room. 

Bruce easily ceded even with the grievous thoughts plaguing his mind. The fact that Dick thought of leaving at all, should have struck him as detrimental. No matter how much Bruce wanted to, he wouldn’t stop Dick from doing that. He had no right to. Bruce wished he could believe everything was going to be okay; he wished he could see the future but that wasn’t something fate had gifted him. All he could do was hope for the best, learn from his past mistakes, and move forward. He’d just have to try harder for Dick and their pup. 

Babs once called him a savior but this felt different from before. This ‘need’ to help his mate was for _Dick’s benefit_ and not for his own comfort. For the good of the family, he had to do better.

“This room is scent contained so no one else outside will be affected.” The doctor said once the door was closed. “He’ll stay here until the pup’s scent stabilizes but I’m not sure if that will happen.”

“Is there a possibility that you can provide him with a lower dosage of the Pheromone Reducer? Anything to help him gain some strength? ”

Dr. Dundee sighed. “I’m honestly not sure about that. It may be a possibility but I’ll have to see.”

Bruce nodded, squeezing the doctor's shoulder with earnest. “Take care of them for me.” He said with an imitation of a smile, for he didn’t know when Dick would allow him back here. Let alone when his own pup would no longer see him as a threat.

“Of course, Mr. Wayne.”

Bruce nodded and started down the long hallway towards the elevators. As his thoughts went to his sons, he hoped Jason was able to calm Tim down enough to think of a plan. He’d yet to ask Tim about the enhancer’s scientific components since he told them about it. Tonight, he would learn everything he could in order to help his son create that new formula he was talking about.

“Is that you, Brucie?”

Bruce barely recognized the voice at first until the sound of that peculiar giggle followed. He turned, seeing Holly walking through the double doors of the E.R unit with an almost wry looking smile on her face.

“Holly?” Bruce ceased in his step, pivoting fully.

“My goodness, it’s been so long. Too long.” Holly didn’t stop until she was a few inches away from the alpha, studying him with an expression Bruce had never seen before. “You’ve filled out even more since the last time I saw you.” Holly shamelessly touched Bruce’s forearm, squeezing it as if to test out his strength. “Might I say, impressive.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Getting straight to the point, I see.” Holly grinned, letting her hand, permanently, settle on Bruce’s arm. “Well, I was also subject to taking the Surge Suppressor so I just came to get a check-up. Fortunately, they found nothing out of the ordinary.” With her free hand, Holly toyed with a lock of hair, giving Bruce an unrelenting stare. “Also, I never heard back from you guys, by the way. Remember when I offered you my help? Did Kathy say something about me to stop you from responding? You know she’s never liked me.”

“We didn’t need your help at the time.” Bruce pried her hand away, moving back a bit. 

“Well... how’s about a little update? Since we’re here, we should grab a bite and you can tell me what happened.” Holly tilted her head, providing that familiar award-winning smile, and Bruce was promptly reminded of how similar her and Selina’s mannerisms were. They truly exhibited the same aura but Holly’s was just a little more… threatening, to say the least. It was almost a little offsetting, knowing that she never talked much, especially not alone with Bruce.

“I’m sorry, I’m a little tied up at the moment,” Bruce said, soon glaring at her. “Besides that, you’re acting surprisingly friendly for someone who blamed me for Selina’s death.”

“Oh,” Holly glanced aside and put some distance between them. “That was in the past. I’ve since moved on from blaming you. Which is probably why I kept this-” Holly huffed a laugh, touching the tattoo on her neck, her eyes begging. “I hope you'll forgive me, Brucie. I didn’t mean any of it. I was just-” The sound of Holly’s phone ringing halted her words. And whoever’s name she saw on the caller ID pulled her away from the conversation completely. “Sorry I have to take this. I’ll see you later, Brucie. Hopefully soon.” Holly blew him a kiss before heading towards the elevators.

After seeing the omega disappear around the corner, Bruce was quick to whip out his own phone and call his cousin. “Kat, I need you to guard Dick’s room for a while.”

_“Guard? Why can’t you guard him yourself?”_

“Dick doesn’t want to see me right now.”

_“Again? What did you do this time.”_

“There’s a lot I have to tell you. One being that Holly’s back in Gotham.” Bruce spoke softly as he walked down the hallway. “Jason was right, she’s different from before. “Think you can come to the Manor tonight?”

 _“Holly?”_ Kathy scoffed. _“I’ll be there in twenty.”_

~*A Few moments Earlier*~

“I’m such an idiot.” Tim rambled on, wiping away the last of his tears as he walked into an empty waiting room. “What the hell is wrong with me? I should’ve just told him. I’m so stupid.”

“Damn right you should’ve.” Tim didn’t turn around at the sound of Jason’s voice, instead, he leaned against the railing looking, but not focusing, on the hospital lobby four floors down.

“What were you thinking, Tim?”

“I didn’t want Dick to…” Tim exhaled, thinking about Dick’s reaction. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Now he hates me.”

Next to Tim, Jason leaned on the railing. “Dick doesn’t hate you.”

“He does. He hates me. I lied to him. I-I betrayed him.” Tim rambled on some more.

“There’s no way that Dicke hates you. He’s angry, yeah. And he probably feels betrayed, like you said. But he doesn’t _hate_ you. If anything, he hates Slade’s ass for drugging him in the first place.”

Finding it hard to believe Jason, Tim shook his head and turned away. 

“If he hated you,” Jason rotated Tim by the shoulders until he was facing him. “He could’ve easily asked you to break your bond.”

“No, don’t say that.” Tim couldn’t help but start crying again. “That’s the last thing I want.” 

“Fuck, I hate it when you cry, Timmy.” Jason slowly pulled Tim closer, wrapping his arms around his lithe form. “He doesn’t hate you but that doesn’t mean he’s going to instantly forgive you either. You just have to prove to him that you won't lie again."

Tim slumped against Jason's chest, knowing that it was going to be hard to win Dick's trust back.

"Your enhancer works but not for this type of situation." Jason began. "Baby’s weren’t made to present this early on,” He explained, gently caressing the back of the omega’s head. “But look on the bright side, that shit works, Tim. That means your formula isn’t as faulty as you thought it was. That means you can figure out a way for Dickie to survive this.”

Tim nodded into his chest, soon bringing his arms around Jason’s torso. “I know what I have to do.” He mumbled, squeezing tighter as he let the embrace push aside the noises around them.

“Then it’s time to pull yourself together and save Dick.” 

Keeping his arms secure around Jason, Tim pulled back and sniffled, looking into the alpha’s eyes.

“Won’t you help me, Jay?”

Jason huffed a laugh. “Just so you know, I suck at science so, I don’t know what the hell you want me to do?”

“You can start off by buying me 20 pounds of coffee beans.” Tim lay his head back on Jason’s chest, subconsciously inhaling his scent. “I’m going to be pulling a lot of all-nighters with this one.”

“Boys?”

At the sounds of Bruce’s voice, Tim and Jason quickly separated as if they were doing something to be guilty about, even though they weren’t.

“Um…” Tim dared himself to look at Bruce and when he did, he didn’t miss the way the alpha looked between them. “I’ve come up with a plan.” He said quickly, indistinctly moving further away from Jason. “But I’m gonna need some materials.”

Bruce nodded slowly. “I’ll call up Lucius so he can order a few things. What’s your plan?”

“Prime Alpha pheromones don’t affect me like they do with regular Omegas, so the only thing we can do for Dick to have a safe delivery is to... enhance his dynamic.” Tim easily explained, after having already thought about this way before any of this happened. “Unfortunately, the way my enhancer works, specifically for adults, is to completely take away their dynamic. For obvious reasons, we can’t do that so I’ll have to come up with another formula so we can safely change him.”

Bruce stood aback, still trying to work his thoughts around the entire thing. Just maybe, they’d have a hard time doing this after all. “From now on, you’re calling the shots, Tim,” Bruce stated. “The only thing I ask is that you do this quickly.”

“Trust me, I’m gonna be working my ass off to get this right.” This was for Dick. He would do anything to save Dick. No matter how long it took or how much stress he’d be under, he’d suffer through it all for his older brother. 

~*1 Day Later*~

“Master Dick.”

Dick opened his eyes, seeing Alfred standing next to his bed. 

“Sorry to wake you sir but I’ve brought extra clothing for you and Miss Cassandra.”

“Thanks, Alfie.” Dick yawned, checking the time on the wall clock. It was 4:56 P.M. He must’ve fallen asleep some hours ago, after Dr. Dundee came to check on him and the pup. Regrettably, it seemed that his pup was still working to wither his distress- even when he didn’t have any. He knew his pup meant well, but it was stringent and troublesome to feel _this_ weak at all hours of the day.

“Of course, sir.” Alfred pulled the suitcase over to the hospital wardrobe and began unpacking. “I’ve also brought a few treats for both of you to share. I believe hospital food does get a bit nauseating after a while.”

Dick chuckled softly, “It’s already starting to and it’s only been one day.”

Alfred nodded, pulling out a large black plastic bag and bringing it over to the overbed tray. Dick used the control panel on the bed’s railing to sit up, feeling a little dizzy when he was finally upright. 

“That scent is just as strong as Master Jason explained.” Alfred placed a couple of folded shirts into the wardrobe. “I find it rather taxing even by standing this far away.”

“This is the bare minimum compared to before.” Dick reached for the black plastic bag. “But, you’re right, it’s almost too exhausting to bear.”

“Quite. I can see how fragile you are just by hearing you speak, Master Dick.”

Dick nodded, pulling open the handles to find various junk foods and candies inside. “I honestly don’t know how to deal with this anymore. Dr. Dundee said he was going to figure out a way to weaken the scent.”

“Hopefully they will, sir. Master Tim is working to make sure you have a safe delivery as well.”

“Oh…” Dick pulled out a Snickers bar, not finding it in himself to care about what Tim was doing right now. Recalling all the things he’s told Tim about his past and his feelings, he now wondered if doing any of that was a good idea. Tim’s comfort was a great thing to have but that could’ve been fake for all he knew. He was starting to think that Tim was just as distrustful as someone he didn’t know. And he hated having these thoughts about his little brother but they wouldn't go away.

Alfred closed the wardrobe, placing Cassandra’s kitty plushie next to her sleeping form on the pull out recliner bed. She was snuggled tight within the hospital blanket, sleeping the day away. Dick smiled down at her and was glad that she was finally able to get some rest, for she’d been up all night whimpering and whining at Dick’s current state. She obviously didn’t like what the pup’s pheromones were doing to Dick but upon the doctor's request, she held back on releasing her own scent to battle against his.

“I keep thinking I should send her back to the Manor but I don’t want to.” He uttered, peeling open the candy wrapper. “Then again, I don’t want her to stay inside this hospital for too long.”

“Why not ask Master Jason to take her outside every once in a while, for however long you stay here.”

“That’s what I’ll probably do.” Dick bit into the chocolate bar, humming in delight. “You’re truly a savior Alfie. I really needed this.

“Don’t eat it all in one day, sir.”

“I’ll try not to.”

There was another knock at the door before Dr. Dundee walked inside. “Sorry to bother.” He greeted Alfred with a nod. “I think I’ve found a solution to your weakness problem.” He held up a vial and a syringe, sauntering to Dick’s bedside.

“What is that?”

“A pheromone reducer.”

“I thought those were only used for people who’ve gone feral?”

“Yes, but I had it sent to the lab in order for them to decrease the dosage.” Dick watched the doctor uncap the vial, using the syringe to draw out some of the clear substance.

“Are you absolutely positive it won’t cause any problems?” Dick said, growing serious.

“This drug is strictly for reducing pheromones which only affects the scent glands. We don’t usually give it to pregnant omegas because they’re babies have not presented, therefore, they would not be able to sustain this. But you’re a special case.” The doctor flicked the side of the syringe with a single finger. “Your pup has already developed scent glands and whether he’s a baby or not, he’s protruding a scent. This is the lowest dosage we could make. Of course, if you’re not comfortable with it, I won’t give you any.”

Dick glanced down, contemplating, eventually looking up at Alfred. “...What do you think I should do, Alfie?”

“The choice is yours, Master Dick.”

Dick didn’t necessarily feel comfortable in making his own choices, especially when it came to this stuff. He doesn’t mind having his pup protect him but in all honesty, he’d rather not feel weak especially when he was just trying to walk to the bathroom.

“I’ll take it.” Dick swiftly confirmed before he could change his mind.

“Alright then. Roll up your sleeve for me.”

Dick rolled up his sleeve, presenting the tattoo on his arm to which the doctor briefly commented on. Placing his free hand on his belly, Dick released soothing pheromones, and thus far, they haven't worked to calm down his pup. Still, he tried nonetheless, especially since this reducer was bound to affect him. Dick flinched a bit when the needle pierced his skin, feeling a warm sensation travel through his arm.

“This should help with your fever as well.” The doctor quickly removed the needle, going to dispose of it. “I’ll give it about an hour before I come and check on you.”

“Thank you, Doc.”

As soon as Dr. Dundee closed the door, Dick felt the baby slowly shift over to his right side.

“Don’t be startled, dear one.” Dick inhaled, rubbing circles on his belly. “Your papa just wants to be able to move normally again.” He laughed to himself, feeling a little giddy for talking to his pup for the first time. It wasn’t as awkward as he thought it would be but it was still surreal. Three months from now and he’d be holding his little pup in his arms. Well, _possibly…_

Dick hasn’t had the time to process what had been done to him. It’s as if he was so used to bad things happening to him that he no longer felt as worried as he should. This should be different though. He should feel terrified about both his life and his pup’s life currently in danger. Sadly, he couldn’t even find the energy to worry anymore after having that fight with Tim. Now he realized that this was just another thing added to the list of inhumane things Slade has done to him. Dick could probably count all the scars if he wanted to.

He wasn't terrified at all… he was almost at peace with it. _How was that possible?_ _Was there something wrong with him?_ He should call Barbara soon, for he was adamant about mending his mental health. He truly wanted to get his mind back on track but it felt as though nothing was changing and that he was only getting worse. _Dick hated himself for that… he was so inefficient and useless sometimes. How could anyone love him? Bruce said he loved him… he loved him, right? He wanted to hear Bruce say it again and again until he was satisfied… He should call Bruce… he wanted to talk to Tim too... Dick needed them both… he was worthless without them… he was worthless..._

_Worthless..._

“Master Dick.”

Dick’s dissenting thoughts faltered at the sound of his name. “Sorry Alfie, what did you say?” He peered up at the butler, who had returned to his bedside with the empty suitcase in hand.

“I’ll come back next week to change out the clothes, sir.”

“Oh… thanks, Alfred.” Sad at the thought of Alfred leaving, Dick sighed, not expecting an envelope to enter his line of sight. 

“Here you are sir,” Alfred announced, urging the omega to take the envelope.

“A letter?” Gently grabbing the envelope, Dick promptly tore it open, his heart dropping at the sight of a two million dollar check. “A-Alfie, what is this?”

“A check sir. You may make use of it as you please.”

In shock, Dick blinked up at him. “I don’t understand…”

The butler squared his shoulders, giving Dick a firm look. “I realize that you have not yet been able to live your own life. Master Bruce has not exactly made it easy for you and with the revelation of Tim’s lies, I understand you may be having some doubts about the entirety of the Wayne family.”

“Alfie I… I don’t know what to say.” Dick looked down at the check, verifying it’s authenticity a second time.

“It’s not much to last you and your pups for an entire lifetime but just until you can get your life in order.” Alfred also realized that Master Bruce was fully capable of giving Dick money but this was not based on complete dependency. This was a set amount; a generous amount for someone who’s never been on their own before.

“This is…” Dick eyed the butler. “You don’t need to give me this. This money… it’s too much.”

“It’s no dent out of my paycheck sir, I assure you.”

“Alfred, I can’t…” Dick shook his head, quickly putting the check back into the envelope. “Really, Alfie. This is-”

“Think of it as an early birthday gift, Master Dick.”

Dick stared at the envelope, still not sure if this was even real. _To live on his own?_ Dick’s never really thought about that before. Of course, he’s thought about doing things on his own but those plans always included him coming home to the Manor… _to Bruce._ He'd given Bruce on more chance but... would it just be better to leave?

“I recognize your lack of identification, bank account, and other life necessities so I will put this money in a separate account for now. You may ask for it anytime.”

“Alfie, I can’t take this-”

“Keep the money, Master Dick.” Alfred insisted. “Whether you stay with us or not, this money is yours now. You may use it as you see fit.”

Still feeling overwhelmingly elated, Dick let out a breath, feeling himself smile. “I can’t thank you enough for this Alfred. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to make a decision but this is… you’re amazing Alfie.”

Alfred placed a gentle hand on Dick’s shoulder. “I’m glad I’ve made you happy sir.”

“Alfie?” Dick placed his hand on top of the butlers. “If this turns out to be a disaster and by that, I mean me and Bruce not working out. Will you still be there to help me?” He gave the butler a hopeful gaze, swiftly noticing the change in his habitable dependency. He should stop while he was conscious of it; he should stop before he annoyed Alfred with an excessive amount of questions… but he couldn’t. This is what he needed.

“I mean I’m practically a child raising a child, Alfred.” Dick spluttered, tightly squeezing the beta’s hand. “Even with Cassandra, I barely know what I’m doing. I’m so scared. Do you think I’m doing good so far?”

“No parent is ever ready at first, sir.”

“Says the mother duck.” Dick mused.

Alfred cracked a smile. “Of course, I will be there for you, Master Dick. So much so, we will probably quarrel about your parenting techniques.”

Dick let out a delicate laugh. “That's both a good thing and a bad thing.”

Alfred squeezed his hand back before slowly pulling away. “You’ll be alright, Master Dick. In whatever you choose, I’ll be there for you.”

~*~

A couple of days passed and Dick had finally succeeded in taking a shower and changing his clothes without feeling faint. As far lower as dosages go, the medicine didn’t really help as much as he thought it would. It barely managed to relieve him from his weakness. It was only enough to rid him of his fever and the heaviness his body once had. His limbs still felt weak and his pup’s scent was still shielding him. Though it wasn’t as strong as before, Dr. Dundee was certain that wouldn’t matter when another threat came along. Let’s just hope no one else made Dick angry for the time being. 

Dr. Dundee thought it was best for Dick to stay in the hospital until his delivery date so he could monitor the baby's progress. Besides having scent glands, his pup seemed to be developing rather normally. That was a relief to hear despite not fully knowing if he'd be able to give birth.

“Cass, what are you doing over there?” Dick said as he came out of the bathroom, seeing the young alpha quickly hiding something underneath her blanket. It didn’t take Dick long to figure out what it was, given the state of the spilled over snack bag Alfred had given them a few days ago. That, and the smear of chocolate on her chin.

“Cass?” Dick offered a light chiding tone as he sat on his bed. “You have to ask me if you want to have snacks, remember?”

Cassandra didn’t respond and instead chose to look down and pout. 

Dick sighed, finding that he hated when Cassandra gave that pouting face of hers. She was just so adorable and Dick found himself giving in more than he should. “Oh, alright.” He finally relented. “That will be your last one for the day. And you’ll brush your teeth right after, okay?”

Cassandra nodded with a smile, bringing out the carefully hidden candy bar and eating it without a care in the world. Ultimately, Dick would have to hide the bag somewhere in the room when she was asleep but knowing how overly curious she was, she’d probably end up finding it.

The ring of Dick’s cell phone distracted him enough to drop the matter for another time. In grabbing his phone, he hoped it wasn’t someone he didn’t want to speak to but when he saw the screen, it looked like it was only a spam call. Apart from that, unlike other scam calls, this one had Gotham’s area code. And Dick, being as bored as he was, decided to answer the call.

“Hello?”

_“...Dick?”_

Dick’s brain stuttered for a moment, hoping that this wasn’t a hoax. “Wally?”

 _“Dick?”_ Wally let out a breath of disbelief. _“This isn’t some fake-out voicemail message, is it? Y’know, the ones where they say ‘hello’ and then they do that long pause thing and then--”_

“No, no, it’s me. It’s Dick.” Dick gave a little laugh, holding the phone closer to his ear. 

_“Fuck…”_ Wally huffed an incredulous laugh. _“It’s like I’m talking to a ghost. You’re actually alive?”_

“I’m alive, Wally,” Dick said softly, glancing over at Cassandra, who’d just finished her candy bar.

_“This is insane. Where the fuck have you been, Dick!?”_

Dick sighed guiltily. “I planned on telling you everything and I’ve been messaging and calling you but you never pick up.”

 _“Oh, fuck. I’m sorry, dude. I changed my number and I forgot to give it to you. Well, that’s not my fault I forgot.”_ Wally stammered, his tone changing to a playful scolding. _“If you hadn’t disappeared on me, you would’ve been the first one to get my new number.”_

“I’m sorry Wally. It’s just… a lot of things have happened.”

 _“Where are you right now? You’re in Gotham, right? And why does your voice sound so dull? Are you sick?”_ Wally spoke frantically. _“And please don’t tell me you actually went on some dumb ass retreat without letting me know first?”_

“No, I didn’t go on a retreat.” Dick frowned, wondering what the hell Bruce had been thinking when he told Wally that. “Right now, I’m at the hospital.” He heard Wally curse again, softly this time.

_“...This is worse than I thought. Which one are you at? I’m coming.”_

“Wally, I don’t think that's-” Dick hesitated. “I think we should just talk on the phone-”

_“I’m coming no matter what you say, Dick. Where are you?”_

Dick sighed, feeling all his insecurities pile into his brain while at the same time, being happy that Wally wanted to see him. “I’m at the General. Room 412.”

_“Cool, I’ll be there- well it’s not ‘cool’ but, you get what I mean. I’ll be there.”_

Dick chuckled, just now realizing how he missed laughing at Wally’s amusing antics. “I’ll see you in a few."


	42. Her Eyes were Cold...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Putting Cassandra Signing in ‘Italics’ like that from now on.

~*10 Years Ago*~

_“I think my dad's here.” Selina looked off into the large crowd filled with Gala invites. “We need to be keeping our distance anyway.” She faced Bruce with a keen expression, already backing away to leave. “I’ll talk to you guys later.”_

_“So,” Harvey said, watching Selina walk off into the crowd. “You guys are back together?”_

_“We have been for a month now.”_

_“The Prince is once again off the market.” Harvey chuckled to himself, shaking his head. “Except, not exactly, seeing as you two aren’t public.”_

_Bruce finished his champagne, stuffing his free hand in his suit pant’s pocket. “She refuses to go public.”_

_“Remind me of the reason again?”_

_“She doesn’t like the spotlight.”_

_“The total opposite of you, my friend.”_

_“I’m respecting her wishes.” Bruce fished another glass of champagne from the passing servers, swiftly replacing the empty glass._

_Harvey raised a brow, watching the other alpha sip his drink. “You alright there, my friend?”_

_“I’m fine.”_

_“You seem a bit down,” Harvey noted, having a drink of his own champagne._

_“It’s nothing,” Bruce replied, his guarded expression revealing nothing._

_Harvey nodded while giving Bruce a confused look. “If you’re sure.” From afar, Harvey could see Selina greet her father. “I still don’t understand why she doesn’t like the spotlight when she comes to things like this?”_

_“Enough, Harv.”_

_“Hey,” In defense, Harvey put his hands up. “I’m just pointing out the obvious. And now you’re mad all of a sudden?” The alpha edged a bit closer, whispering. “Is it because you wanted to go public?”_

_Harvey caught Bruce’s slight nod before he was drinking once again._

_“Give it some time.” Harvey patted his friend's shoulder. “She’ll come around eventually. You should try and court her. Give her a few meaningful gifts.”_

_“We’ve just gotten back together. I want to see where this goes first.” Bruce said knowing he’d only want to traditionally court someone he truly loved. He didn’t love Selina… not yet anyhow. Maybe he would one day._

_“Brucie.” The voice drew the alpha’s focus towards Kate, closing in on them._

_“The heiress makes her appearance.” Harvey mused, observing the nice way Kate’s dress fitted her form._

_Kate rolled her eyes while giving her cousin a side hug. “Who invited you, Harvey?”_

_“They always invite me.”_

_“Sure they do. How much was the bribe this time around?” Kate mused even further._

_“Uh…” Harvey cleared his throat, awkwardly straightening his tie before changing the subject. “Loving the short do on you, Kathrine.”_

_“Thanks, Harv.” Kate let her fingers run through her bob-like style. “Selina did it for me the other day. Where is she, anyhow?” She asked, searching around._

_“Over there with her dad- and who’s that?”_

_“I’m not sure,” Bruce said._

_Kate squinted, only making out the woman’s striking blonde hair. “Never seen her before.”_

_“Aren’t you Selina’s best friend? I figured you would know.”_

_Kate gave a half shrug. “It must be one of her dad’s friends.”_

_“He really has a thing for younger women doesn’t he?” Harvey shook his head, disappointedly._

_“He likes them as props— dates, I mean.” Kate watched Selina grab the blonde woman’s hand, quickly dragging her in their direction. “Here she comes.”_

_“And here I go.” Harvey began walking off after spotting his date coming out of the washroom. “I’m going to go and greet the masses. I’ll call you later Bruce.”_

_Kate and Bruce gave their goodbyes, glancing back at Selina who, in no time, made it to their spot._

_“Kat, Brucie.” Grinning a little too hard, Selina pulled Holly forward. “This is who I've been meaning to introduce you too. This is Holly Robinson, my one and only best friend.”_

_Kathy shifted uncomfortably on her feet, feeling a bit put off. It wasn’t as though she would complain about ‘titles’ like some teenager but she was very serious when it came to friendships. It was under her assumption that Kathy was her only best friend… guess she was wrong._

_“Nice to meet you.” Holly greeted, staring at Bruce longer than she did Kate._

_“She’s a little on the quiet side but once you see her fighting skills, you’ll fall completely in love.” Selina praised excitedly._

_“Bestfriends?” Kate pointed out. “When did you guys meet for you to become so close?”_

_As though she thought Kate’s question was absurd, laughter spilled from Selina’s mouth. “We go way back.”_

_“We do too. We’ve never met her before even though we’ve known each other since we were kids.” Kathy stated and Bruce grunted in agreement._

_Something in Selina’s expression twitched, leading her next words to be strained with annoyance. “We met on one of my father’s business trips when I was a kid. We’ve kept in contact ever since. I could’ve sworn I mentioned it to you?”_

_“I don’t recall.”_

_“Well, we were around nine or ten, it makes sense that you guys wouldn’t remember,” Selina said too sweetly._

_“Where are you from?” Bruce asked Holly, sensing Kathy’s growing irritation through their pack mark._

_“Ohio, but when I was eight my parents moved us to Kazakhstan. It was there I learned ancient Kazakh Martial Art.”_

_“She’s really good, Bruce,” Selina said proudly. “We’ve been talking about recruiting more members for a while now and-”_

_“We should talk about this in a more private environment,” Bruce said, peeking at those passing by._

_“Tomorrow.” Selina turned to Holly. “We’ll meet at the Manor.”_

_“Sounds like a plan.” Holly agreed, taking a quick peek at Kate, who was still giving her dirty looks._

_._

_._

_._

_“My love, what's up with you tonight? You look sad.” Selina asked as soon as they were in the limo._

_Bruce sighed, looking at the back of Alfred’s head through the other side of the partition. “I can’t... find the brochure. I’ve looked everywhere but...”_

_“Don’t worry, my love.” Selina sunk back into the seat, pulling out her handheld mirror. “It’ll pop up somewhere.”_

_“I’ve had it all this time.” Bruce went on. “I don’t understand how it could vanish into thin air like that.”_

_“Maybe your children moved it.” Selina casually continued to check her face._

_“They know better than to go into my office when I’m not there,” Bruce said in their defense. “I know it wasn’t them.”_

_“I’m sorry, my love.” She muttered, straightening out her bangs. “I wish I knew what happened to it.”_

_“Selina.”_

_“Yes?” The omega reluctantly looked away from the mirror, finding Bruce frowning at her._

_“You were watching Tim and Jason that day. Did…” He faltered, seeing Selina frown back, for she knew what was coming. “Did you touch it?”_

_Selina scoffed and flipped her mirror closed. “Do you really think I would do something like that?”_

_“You’ve expressed your dislike for me trying to find him many times before and-”_

_“Brucie, I’ve never said anything like that. Does it look like I would say something like that?”_

_“You've said it plenty of times, Selina.”_

_“I meant that I’ve never said anything outright bad about him.” She expertly backtracked. “Yes, I’ve expressed ‘dislike’ but that wasn’t for him, that was for you, specifically. Your obsession with finding him is bothersome to me.”_

_“I have no obsession,” Bruce argued. “I’m concerned about his whereabouts and who he might be with. Isn’t that natural?”_

_“Listen, Brucie, let's drop this while we still can. I don’t want to fight again." She said lovingly, settling a hand on his knee. "And I’d wish you’d stop assuming bad things about me. It’s true that I’d rather you focus on just me. But I would never take away something that important to you.” With that said, Selina brought a hand up and gently thumbed the alpha’s chin._

_“I hate it when you make assumptions about me. You know me. You know I was there for you when your parents died.” Selina brought up, watching Bruce go shamefaced as he always did when Selina talked about his parents. “For all those years I’ve stuck by you. I comforted you. I was your only confidant. I was your shoulder to cry on. Because of that, I know how you are, Brucie. I know that missing child deserves to be found and whether he’s your soulmate or not, I stand by that completely.”_

_Bruce sighed softly, eventually murmuring. “I’m sorry for assuming.”_

_Selina was so used to hearing that line it was almost becoming laughable. “It’s fine, my love.” She grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. “I’ll help you look for the brochure when we get home. We’ll stay up all night if we have to.”_

_Bruce smiled, lifting her hand and softly kissing the back of it. Selina smiled too as she thought about how she threw away the half-burned page amongst the littered streets of Gotham._

_“This Sunday we should go visit your parent’s grave again.” Keeping Bruce’s parents at the forefront of the conversation, Selina leaned on Bruce's shoulder. “I always love reminiscing about them with you.”_

_“Yes, and we’ll bring Tim and Jason along with us. They’ve never been before.”_

_Selina’s smile wavered, having almost forgotten they even existed. “Sounds like a good plan.” After begrudgingly agreeing, her mood deflated and her expression twitched into a scowl that went unseen by Bruce._

~*~

“A nesting room?”

“Yes.” Dr. Dundee said. “It's still in the maternity wing but it is in a private, more secluded sector of the hospital and it has more amenities for your comfort.”

“Bruce suggested this, didn't he?” Dick expertly assumed.

“Well,” The doctor wavered guiltily. “He thought you’d be more comfortable, as did I.”

Dick sighed, genuinely loving the idea of nesting right now.

“The nurses will provide you with various fabrics that you can choose from.”

“Sounds nice.” Dick murmured, giving in more and more. “Right now I have a friend coming to visit. I’ll decide after he leaves.”

The doctor nodded, moving towards the door. “Call in my nurse when you’re ready.”

Once the doctor left the room, Dick refocused his attention on the TV, taking in a practiced set of deep breaths. Wally would be here soon and Dick was freaking the fuck out. He’d made his final decision some time ago, but he was still debating on whether he should go through with it or not.

_To tell Wally everything about himself..._

Everything, starting from the circus up until now. He’d leave out all the bits about the Dark Knight clan, for he still respected Bruce’s confidentiality about the entire thing. But everything concerning him working with DS was going to be revealed. All the reasons not to do this came flooding back into his mind by means of this possibly having horrible consequences. Wally could very well drop their friendship like a fly, run out of the room, and never look back. Dick didn’t want that to happen.

He liked Wally. Someone so care-free and hilarious just fit well with Dicks entire persona. Being with Wally was like being on vacation and Dick aspired to have the normalcy he had. And if he thought long and hard about it, Dick could admit that at times, he was jealous of Wally. He was envious of his normal and ordinary life. And his unproblematic relationship with his girlfriend, _especially_ , seemed almost too real to be true in Dick’s eyes. It had Dick thinking about a lot of things.

 _What would it have been like if he had dated someone else besides Bruce?_ _Someone who wasn’t obsessed with their dead girlfriend. Someone who wasn’t his soulmate._

Dick shook off the thought, knowing he was going into uncharted territory. He’s thought about it on occasion— about how he _found other people attractive_. _How it would feel to date someone else; to be held by someone else._ He felt a little guilty by having those thoughts, but it’s not like he could stop them from crossing his mind. And _if_ he would’ve dated someone else besides Bruce, he wouldn’t be able to stand hiding who he once was from them. Not everyone would accept what he’d done like the Wayne family had and that’s why he found himself falling back on his resolve to tell Wally.

Dick ended up going to the bathroom once again to check himself in the mirror for the tenth time since Wally had called. He patted down his long tunic making sure his hair was set in place and all of his scars were covered. Sadly, he was still puffy like a whale, but it could be seen as a nice puffiness due to his extra sweet scent- at least that's what Tim liked to tell him.

“How do I look, Cass? Presentable?” Dick came out of the bathroom just in time to see Cassandra sign the only complimentary word she knew.

_‘Cute.’_

“Cute?” Dick cocked his head, hoping he read the sign correctly. “That’s not what I was going for but I guess that’s okay.” He chuckled, taking another deep breath before going to sit on the hospital bed.

“My friend is coming by for a visit soon,” Dick spoke as he got comfortable. “He’s a fun person to be around. You’ll love him.”

Cassandra climbed onto the bed after Dick was settled and snuggled into his side before lifting her hands.

_‘Cartoons.’_

“Um…” Dick had to think for a while, finding himself forgetting Sign the longer he went without Tim teaching it. “Cartoons? Is that what you said?”

She nodded.

“Okay, cartoons, what?”

_‘Please!’_

“Of course.” Dick changed the channel to one of the children's channels, yawning as Cassandra cuddled closer. Sleep was threatening to overtake him the longer he waited but eventually, his measly prayers were answered when there was a soft knock on the door. With his heart thumping against his chest, Dick straightened up, readying himself for the redhead’s emergence. His heart only beat faster once Wally pushed open the door, spotting Dick, his eyes slowly widening.

“Hey.” The word came out breathlessly as Dick quickly looked down, already feeling self-conscious.

“...Hey.” He said and it sounded unsure. Even the closing of the door sounded hesitant. “Is it supposed to smell like an Alpha right now or am I hallucinating?” Wally questioned, once the door clicked shut, causing Dick to look up.

“Yeah, it’s supposed to smell like that.” It came out awkwardly and he averted his eyes because of it. 

“Right…” Wally's footsteps were the only thing that made a sound as he moved towards the couch to sit down. Once Wally was settled, Dick still didn’t look up, extending the silence even further. This wasn’t like him, to act this shy in front of the redhead but he knew this was going to happen; he knew he was going to freeze.

Wally kept silent, unsure of what to say as he let his eyes wander over Dick’s form. _Still pregnant, eye patch, long hair, strange scent, and a… child?_ “Who’s this?” He asked, eyeing the little girl.

“This is Cassandra.” Dick glanced at the young alpha who was blinking sleepily.” She’s mine.” He said without hesitation, watching her fully close her eyes. “My pup.”

It’s never been this awkward between him and Dick and right now it was disconcerting how much Wally was holding back on prying further.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”

Wally nodded. “Plenty.”

“First, I would like to apologize for being unable to contact you.”

“Being unable?” 

Dick took a deep breath, finally and permanently, looking at Wally. “I want to tell you what’s happened to me and who I am in general. You’re probably not going to like it. We probably won’t be friends anymore but… I want to be truthful with you.”

“Dude, you’re scaring me.”

Dick gave a bitter smile, “You’ll probably be a little scared after you hear what I have to say.”

“Just say it.” Wally urged, not liking the way Dick was acting as of right now— all fidgety and nervous. It made Wally uneasy, especially since all he could focus on was Dick’s eye patch.

“It’s a long story.” 

“I’ve got all day.” Wally sat back, throwing his arms across the back of the couch.

“Well, I…” _Was Dick really going to say this?_ He shouldn’t back out now. He needed to get it over with. “Wally, I used to…” Dick gulped, giving himself a second of hesitation before effectively overcoming it. “I used to be an assassin-"

.

.

.

In the never-ending silence, Wally was pacing, spewing soft curses every once in a while as he processed the information Dick had confessed to him. In the evening horizon, the sun was setting now in contrast to the prior peak when Wally arrived in the afternoon.

Dick told him everything. _Everything_. Starting from his childhood, to how he was captured, to the excessive use of Alpha Orders, and a brief explanation of what he’d been made to do in his time with DS. He told him about his diagnosis, his constant memory loss, how he lost his eye, and how he found Cassandra. All of that and then some, pertaining to how he met Bruce but not going into who Bruce actually was. He brought the police into the mix of the story and said that they rescued him instead of Bruce. He also told him about how and why his pup was a Prime Alpha. It was a lot to explain, but he was satisfied with how he revealed everything. Now all that was left was Wally’s reaction.

With an abrupt stop, Wally faced him and Dick couldn’t read his expression, but if he were to guess, it wasn’t something bad.

“Dude… fuck.” Wally started pacing again, the shock returning. “What the actual fuck?”

“It’s shocking, I know.”

“More than shocking. This is sad… This is fucked up!”

Dick shushed him, making sure Cassandra hadn’t woken up.

“Sorry but dude… you’re like…” Wally’s mouth moved but nothing came out. “You’re like… you’re like... tragically badass.”

Dick blinked. “What?”

“I mean… to survive all that shit; all those orders and trauma and still being able to do some freaky fighting shit? And while you’re pregnant too? You fought bad guys while you were _pregnant,_ Dick. With One. Fucking. Eye.” Wally moved his hands on the beat of each word. “Are you a superhero or what? Seriously.” Wally flopped on the couch, breathing as if he were out of breath while Dick was in more shock than he’d ever been in his life.

“I need a drink. Speaking of drinks, once you pop that little dude out, we’re going partying. We’re going to all the clubs, we’re going on all the trips. Fuck it, we’re going to space too. I’m gonna make your life so damn fun, you’re not even gonna remember you have a family.”

Not a second later, Dick erupted in laughter, startling Cassandra awake.

“This isn't a joke, Dick. You literally haven’t done anything.” Wally sat up straighter. “Listen, if we need to break off our relationships just so we can get one, no- five years of freedom, I’m down. Linda might kill me but-"

“Wally, stop, stop. I can’t take it anymore.” The hysterics continued on. “You’d break up with your girlfriend for me?”

“After hearing that story… dude, someone has to be forced to put their other life on hold for a while.”

“God, Wally. You don’t know how happy I am right now. To hear that you accept me is...” Finally, all the weight of his stressing and worrying had been lifted off of his shoulders. Despite hearing everything, Wally was acting the same as he always did. 

“Don’t get all emotional. You’re cool, Dick. This might sound mushy, but I feel like we were meant to be friends.”

“I’m so glad you said that because I feel the same way,” Dick said and Wally smiled.

“So… are the police still looking for him?”

Dick nodded. “They still haven’t found him.”

“Don’t do anything reckless, Dick… I don’t know if you’re thinking about getting revenge but…”

“I can’t promise you that,” Dick said, watching Wally sigh disappointedly. 

“Don’t do it.” Wally murmured again, looking more serious than Dick had ever seen him before. In the end, Dick didn’t answer, leaving the room open to the beeping heart monitor and voices coming from the hallway. A movement from Cassandra thankfully distracted Wally enough for him to drop the topic. 

“She’s awake… Hey, there. Cassandra. I’m Wally.” She regarded him with curious narrowed eyes, ultimately turning away from him and crowding closer to Dick.

“She’s shy.” Dick carded his fingers through her short hair.

“I’ve got the perfect solution for that.” Wally bit his lip as he dug through the pocket of his winter coat, eventually taking out a lollipop. “Here we go. Every kid likes candy.” At the sound of candy, Cassandra gave Wally her attention once more.

“What do you say, Cass?” Dick asked once Wally stood next to the bed, holding out the lollipop for the young alpha to grab.

_‘Thank you.’_

“She said thank you.” Dick translated after Cassandra reached for the candy.

“This makes me so excited,” Wally said, watching Cassandra tear open the wrapper with glee.

“Excited?”

“Lin’s pregnant.”

That was the last thing Dick expected to come out of his mouth. “Congratulations. How far along?”

“12 weeks. Get this, Dick, we decided to tell the family together— both her parents and my uncle. It was like one of those cliche dinner intervention things and her dad almost killed me. Without Lin there, I would’ve died.”

Dick nodded, laughing.

“Uncle Barry didn’t even do anything to save me. He’s so useless sometimes.”

“Well, at least you’ve gotten through the worst of it.”

“Thankfully,” Wally said, soon peeking around the room. “Where’s your family at, by the way?”

Dick rolled his eyes and spoke with an undertone of disregard. “That’s an entirely different situation.”

“The big guy’s got you down again?” Dick sadly answered yes. “You guys fight too much, but on a more serious note, if things get out of hand and you need a place to stay, I’ve got your back.”

Dick smiled, extremely glad that Wally had taken the information well. He’d get to keep him as a friend and that was all that mattered. “I’ll consider it.”

~*1 Week Later*~

“What? Why is this happening?” Tim mumbled to himself while adjusting the focus of the microscope.

“What is it?” Jason asked.

“It’s not reacting the same… it’s diluting the bacterial DNA instead of modifying it.” Tim sighed harshly, removed the dirty slate, and replaced it with a clean one.

“Please don’t tell me you need me to spit into a tube again?”

“No, I have enough.” Tim used the dropper to recoat the saliva with the enhancer fluid before looking into the microscope.

Jason sat down next to Tim, looking up just in time to see Kathy and Bruce exit the elevator. “Hey, guys. How did the interrogation go?”

“Good actually.” Kathy sat down across from Jason. “One of the hunters confessed.”

“Seriously? Who was it?”

“His name is Tiger.”

“Heh, that guy?” Jason snorted. “I knew he was a snitch.”

Kathy snorted. “A snitch that didn’t help with much but at least we know how much crazier Slade is.”

“I can’t wait to hear this.” Jason sat back, crossing his arms behind his head.

“Well, it’s simple really.” She began once Bruce was seated. “Tiger is a mercenary operative hired by a woman named Lillian Worth.”

“Who is she to Slade?”

“An old lover. The mother of Rose Wilson.”

After hearing that name, Tim momentarily peered at Kathy, his fingers tightening around the scope in precaution.

“Tiger claims Ms. Worth was also under Slade's control for a long time before she went mad and was admitted into a mental facility almost 25 years ago.”

“Slade put her there?” Jason also wondered as to why she went mad. Then again, who knows what type of orders Slade put on her. If that were the case, it’s no wonder she went crazy.

“Seems like it.” Kathy sighed, continuing with the story.

This all happened after Rose was born but it would seem Ms. Worth still had some rationale even after she went mad. She wanted her daughter back, unfortunately, no one would believe her when she told them how crazy Slade was because they’d already deemed her mentally ill. So, she hired a spy to infiltrate DS to retrieve her daughter, but all those operatives were compromised and killed. Slade eventually found out about her ruses and Ms. Worth knew that he was coming to order her into silence. Therefore she wrote down all the information she had about DS in order to hire other spies with Tiger being the most recent one.

“Unfortunately,” Kathy lowered her head. “Rose was under a few orders herself so there was no escape for her either despite Tiger making it into their inner circle.”

“She was looking for her daughter for years, but now Rose is...” Bruce stopped short, seeing Tim go stiff in the corner of his eye. 

“Dick was the one that killed her, right?” Kathy looked around for confirmation. “Right now, Ms. Worth is an Advanced Cancer patient at Gotham General Hospital. She was moved from the mental facility some years ago and has been there ever since. Sadly, she has less than two months left to live.” Kathy tapped the table, thinking. “If Dick would be willing to talk to her, I think she’d appreciate it.”

“I don’t know how’d she feel about her daughter's killer coming to talk to her,” Jason said.

“He’s a victim as well,” Kathy explained. “I’m sure she’d understand if Dick told her what happened.”

“Dick wasn’t the one that killed Rose.” 

At the sudden announcement, everyone looked over at Tim, who was still looking through the microscope.

“I was.” Tim easily stated. From practically ruining his relationship with Dick, he's learned from his past mistake of lying and decided he wouldn’t do it again (well, as long as it involved Dick).

“Tim?” Bruce questioned, growing concerned. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

When Tim finally looked up, he found Jason’s stare to be judgingly meticulous. “Hiding another thing from us, Timmy? I hope you don’t get in the habit of doing this.”

“I wasn’t hiding, I was…” Tim faltered, restlessly trying to find a way to calm down. He knew everyone was going to react this way. He hated being put on the spot.

When it looked as though Tim gave up on explaining, Kathy spoke up. “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay-”

“No, I’m fine. I just...” Tim removed his hand from the microscope to pull at the strings of his shirt cuffs. He needed to buy new shirts soon, for his picking habit had become way worse than it had in the years past. “I was just trying to save Dick.” He finally said. “Rose was there, on top of him, with her sword at his neck and I… I moved off of instinct and…”

“Oh, Timmy.” Kathy empathized. “If only you’d told us earlier, we could’ve done something to help.”

“He refuses to go to therapy.” Jason pointed out in a chiding manner even though he was the most worried out of them all.

“That’s because it’s not that big of a deal.” Tim lied to them and himself.

Kathy was the first to back off, not wanting to pressure Tim. “Even if you did… kill her, I still think Dick should be the one to talk to her. He and Rose did ‘grow up’ together.”

“I’m going to visit him tomorrow. I’ll tell him everything then.” Jason said.

“That’s right, but it’s his birthday tomorrow. Maybe you should hold off until the day after.” Kathy suggested.

“Knowing Dickie, he wouldn’t mind if I mentioned it on his birthday. Plus, Ms. Worth doesn’t have much time left. We should get through with the introductions as quickly as we can.” They all silently agreed to Jason’s terms, even more so when he said, “Who knows? Maybe she’ll be able to point us in the right direction— with finding Slade that is...”

~*~

**November 11th**

Dick looked up from his wheelchair at the big burly alpha, who he quickly recognized to a member of the Dark Knight Clan. If he remembered correctly, Jean-Paul was his name.

“What are you doing here?” Dick asked once Jean relived the nurse of her duties and took over pushing Dick’s wheelchair. It wasn’t until the hallway was mostly empty that Jean revealed anything.

“Bruce sent me to guard you.”

“Guard me for what?” Growing skeptical, Dick checked to make sure Cassandra was still walking next to him. 

“Bruce hasn’t informed you yet?”

“He texted, I ignored it. Mind telling me what’s going on?” Dick said, instantly guessing this might have been the reason why he was being moved to a more secluded part of the hospital.

“In brief, Holly Robinson is a current suspect in our investigation. From what we remember, she moved away from Gotham, but last week she was seen at this hospital. You’ve had contact with her in the past and Bruce just wants to make sure you’re not subject to her potential schemes.”

Dick wasn’t made aware of the clan's suspicion in Holly up until now. He only ever told Tim about his interaction with Holly, but knowing that blabbermouth, he must have mentioned it to either Jason or Bruce at some point.

“I understand that you’re not too fond of the clan members. So I will make sure to keep my distance and stay out of sight.” Jean mentioned for extra measure, causing Dick to lift a brow.

“Mm,” Dick assessed the situation with more leniency than he thought he should. “I may have grouped you together with the other clan members and judged you based on that. Even though you didn’t greet me the first time we met, I honestly haven’t heard one bad thing about you.” Dick said, thinking back to Jason’s tell-all about the clan members (particularly Bette’s disdain). “You’re quiet and you keep your opinions to yourself. I like that. If you keep it that way we can be friends.”

“Duly noted.”

“We’re good then.” Dick peered over to his left, no longer seeing Cassandra by his side. “Wait, stop." He turned his wheelchair, spotting Cassandra in the distance, squeezing her plushie to her chest as she wondrously looked outside the tall glass window.

“Cass!” Dick called, watching the young alpha flinch before hurrying over. “What have I told you about running off?” The scolding incited for Cassandra to start whining unhappily.

“No whining. I just want you to stay safe. Here, hold my hand.” Cassandra sadly maneuvered her plushie under the other arm before grabbing the omega’s hand.

“Mind keeping an eye on her for me? She has a habit of running off.” Dick asked Jean, hearing him grunt in agreement then they started moving again. He knew Cassandra was just curious about everything, considering she’s never experienced a lot of what the world has to offer. And as much as Dick hated scolding her, she should never run off unattended.

When they finally reached the private end of the hospital, Dick could already tell this was something only people like Bruce could afford. There were only four large doors, just by looking down the hallway and they were spaced far apart. Dick was brought to the one near the very end where Dr. Dundee stood, looking down at his clipboard.

“Doc.” Dick greeted.

The doctor looked up, offering a friendly smile. “We just finished setting up the room.”

“Thanks, but this is really too much.”

“I think this is necessary. You will be here until February. And despite the current guarding situation.” The doctor said, giving Jean a knowing look. “I, as well as Mr. Wayne, want you to be comfortable during your long stay.”

“Because I like you, Doc, I’m not going to complain,” Dick said, giving in. “You too, Jean. I’ll let myself be guarded and pampered.” _For now, he would, if only to sate his worries about might not being able to give birth..._

The nesting room was bigger than any hospital room he’d ever seen before. It was almost like a hotel suite with a small sitting/dining area, but the hospital bed stuck out like a sore thumb. It was nice, to say the least, except it had that strange hospital smell to it. Guess he couldn’t avoid that even if he tried. 

“This closet has a few sets of blankets and pillows.” Dr. Dundee opened the door, displaying all types of fluffy materials and Dick just wanted to sink into them forever. “You may use them for your leisure.” 

“Tell me, Doc, is the food better at least?”

The beta chuckled. “No, the food isn’t any better. It’s the same.”

“Thanks for the heads up. At least I’ll know to be disappointed once it gets here.”

The doctor chuckled, shutting the wardrobe. “You’ll get used to it eventually. I’ll have the nurse bring your belongings later.”

“And I’ll be standing outside,” Jean informed, letting go of the wheelchair.

“At least tell me you have a shift change?” The jest was light-hearted, but Dick was seriously wary of who might be guarding him next.

“Kathy will be here during the night.”

Dick didn’t like the sound of that, but he should be asleep by then so hopefully they wouldn’t have any contact.

“Thanks, guys.” With a few partings, Jean and the doctor left the room, leaving Dick and Cassandra to their own devices.

With how weak his body was, Dick did the bare minimum in terms of making a comfortable nest for himself and Cassandra. And even though it was more comfortable than the old hospital bed, it would never be as cozy as the one he had at home. That one had a mixture of smells pertaining to mostly Bruce and Tim who had such lovely, and borderline, addicting scents. Dick thought about escaping the hospital just to go back home and smother himself in it. He should ask Alfred to bring some of Bruce’s shirts the next time he came except there was one problem…

_His pup thought of Bruce as a threat._

Bruce’s scent, to be more specific. That was the only way his pup knew how to differentiate between who was a threat and who wasn’t and unfortunately, it happened to be his own father’s. _What was Dick to do in this situation? Keep him and his pup away from Bruce forever?_

The images of the two million dollar check flashed across his memory as it had been since last week. Right now, it was folded and stuffed inside the back of his phone case for safekeeping. He dreaded being in the middle of this situation. He knew what he wanted to do, but was it the best decision? To stay with Bruce… if he did, they would have to work around the current problem. Bruce would have to prove himself to Dick. Bruce would have to prove to their pup that he wasn’t a threat. _If not then..._

A loud thump and the opening of the door drew Dick away from his thoughts.

“Jason?” He straightened up once the alpha sauntered inside, pushing in a huge gift box with the side of his foot.

“Sup.” With a brief introduction, Jason walked across the room, setting two grocery bags on the small dining table. “Happy Birthday.”

As baffled as Dick was, he laughed, almost blushing at how happy he was. “Thanks.” 

Going to close the door, Jason sighed again, turning around to see Cassandra curiously touching the gigantic red bow that was topping the enormous gift box.

“Jason, what is that?” Dick made a weak attempt to stand up from the bed only for Jason to make him stay put.

“What does it look like? It’s your birthday present.”

“It’s huge.” Dick sunk back into the bed, readily watching the alpha open the plastic bags.

“Exactly. I even got you some cake and ice cream.” He pulled out a small white frosted cake, bringing it over to the bed tray for Dick to see.

“Aww, Jay, you’re gonna make me cry.” Dick looked down at the cake, reading the words ‘Happy Birthday Dickie’ written in blue letters.

“No crying. I’m not good with tears.” Jason pushed the big gift box next to the bed before flopping down on the pull-out chair. “Fuck that was tiring. I’m glad they moved you to a better room, though.”

“Same,” Dick said, staring pointedly at the box. “Well, aren’t you going to open it for me?”

Jason groaned, bending down to tear off the wrapping paper. “If I had been smart, I wouldn't have wrapped the darn thing anyway.”

“I wanted to unwrap it but you’re the one that wouldn’t let me get up from the bed.”

“It’s whatever now.” Jason moved back when Cassandra touched the box. “You wanna do it?” He questioned, watching her nod excitedly. “Go ahead.”

“She gets excited about the littlest things.” Dick gladly watched her haphazardly tear open the wrapping paper with one hand, for she was still holding onto her plushie.

“Imagine how she’ll be on Christmas Day.”

Dick looked down at his phone case. “...Yeah.”

“All done.” Jason rubbed his hands together, swiftly bending down to pull open the box flaps. And once the contents were on display, Dick couldn’t help but crinkle into laughter.

“Cereal? Seriously Jay?” He exclaimed, staring at—what looked to be hundreds— of mini cereal boxes. 

“They come with mini prizes and everything and it’s all for your collection.” The remark was as smug as Jason could make it.

Dick playfully gasped. “How did you know about my prize collection?”

“I used your skills at snooping around the house and found your secret stash.”

Dick laughed again. “F you, Jay. I may snoop around but that doesn’t mean you can do it too.”

“I learned from the best.”

“Honestly though, I can’t thank you enough for this. This is the best present I’ve received in a long time.” Dick could feel tears gathering in the corner of his eyes.

“Don’t get all mushy.” Jason waved him off, but Dick didn’t miss the way his lips quirked before he made his way over to the dining table. “Believe it or not, mine isn’t even the best gift.” He muttered, turning around with two small gift boxes in his hands. 

“This one is from Tim. He got it a week after you guys returned.” Dick held the rectangular box and eyed the dark blue wrapping paper before grabbing the other gift box. It was taller in height but lighter than the one Tim gave to him.

“That one’s from Bruce.” Jason sat back down.

“Thanks.” Dick nonchalantly set them aside, not interested in opening them at the moment.

“You’re not gonna open them?”

“No.” The smile Dick wore was strained as he reached for the cake. “Did you bring candles?”

“Dam- Dang it!” Jason dragged a palm down his face. “I knew I forgot something.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not that big of a deal. You’ll make up for it by singing happy birthday to me.” Dick teased.

Jason sighed. “You better be glad I like you, Dickie.” Was the last thing he said before he reluctantly started to sing. Finding the monotone half-hearted attempt hilarious, Dick tried and failed to hold back his laughter, causing Jason to make an abrupt stop.

“No, no, I’m sorry.” Dick stammered across his laughs, “Keep going, Jay.”

“Too bad.” He grumbled childishly. “I’m done entertaining you for the day.”

“God, that was great.” Dick wiped the corners of his eyes. “I should’ve recorded that.”

“If only Cassandra wasn’t here.” Jason musingly thought of a few curse words he’d like Dickie to hear at that moment.

“Okay, I’ll stop,” Dick promised to not laugh anymore only if Jason didn’t laugh at his new sudden craving.

“Cereal on cake… it honestly doesn’t even look that bad.”

“Mhm.” Dick agreed, leisurely chewing on the soft and hard consistency. “It’s the greatest.” He smiled, now giving the alpha a warm look. 

Jason asked Dick beforehand if he could come by on his birthday and Dick agreed only in accordance that Bruce and Tim didn’t come along. He didn’t think this day would be as amazing as it was, but Dick could honestly say he was truly happy. No matter how weak he felt or how worried and sad he was, Jason effortlessly made that all disappear— if only for a few moments. 

“Jay, whoever you mate with is going to be lucky to have you.”

“What can I say? I’m almost too perfect.” Looking away, Jason scoffed, “But I told you I can't take all that sweet and mushy stuff.”

“Oh please, Jay. I’ve seen you be sweet and mushy with Tim all the time.”

“What?” Jason exclaimed, more dramatically than needed. “When?”

Blatantly ignoring him, Dick cut into his piece of cake.

“Dick, don’t ignore me.” Jason moved to the edge of his seat. “Tell me when?”

“Jay, I was just kidding.” Dick innocently dismissed it. “Why are you getting all worked up?”

Jason scoffed again, attempting to save face. “Wh- what about you and Tim? You guys are mushy.”

“That’s different. We’re a pack and we’re both omegas. It’s natural that we’re close.”

“And yet, you won’t open his gift.” Jason successfully changed the subject, his heart gradually calming down. “Don’t get me wrong here, what he did was stupid and all, but Tim wasn’t trying to save face. I know my Timmy.”

Dick lifted a brow, watching as the oblivious alpha proceeded to talk.

“Even if he is immature, he’s always looking out for others. Especially you.”

Dick sighed and pushed away his plate of half-eaten cake. “Jason, I just need some time, okay? I appreciate all that he’s done for me, but I have no trust for him or Bruce anymore.” _Trust wouldn’t come easy for him any longer— not like it used to._

“They’re gonna have to climb Mount Everest to win your trust back, huh?”

“Yup, and with no climbing gear.” Dick mused.

“That’s life or death right there.”

Dick curtly nodded. “Exactly. I’ve upped my standards, Jay. I won’t be lied to anymore.”

Jason didn’t mention anything about Tim or Bruce after that and instead, they conversed about other things. Mostly about taking Cassandra outside to play in a park somewhere. Jason agreed to do it three times a week since he wasn’t in school right now and had a lot of free time. Unfortunately, the weather was getting colder every day so they probably wouldn't be able to stay out for a long time. Oh well. As long as Cassandra was a little bit active, it should be fine.

“I got some info about Rose's mother.” Jason randomly said once the prior subject was finished.

“Her mother?”

“She’s here. In this hospital.” Jason said solemnly, going further into what Bruce and Kathy told him about Tiger. Dick was shocked to say the least. Extremely shocked and exceedingly sympathetic. He didn’t know what to say. _Him? Going to talk to Rose’s mother? Who Rose so badly wanted to see all this time?_

Watching Rose die before his eyes left him with an invisible scar. It was disheartening to know that even though Dick wanted to save her, there was no way he could’ve. These Alpha orders were like a permanent curse. And to those who used it to recklessly harm people, deserved nothing but hell. 

“I’ll go and see her.”

.

.

.

“Wait outside,” Dick told Jean. He left Jason with Cassandra and went to the third floor to pay Ms. Worth a visit. He was nervous and by how fast his heart was beating, he knew he was bound to stutter a few times. This wasn’t like meeting one of Bruce’s Gala friends or the clan members for the first time. This was personal. He’s known Rose since she was nine years old— before she presented; when she was still innocent. He watched her grow into the monster Slade caused her to be; he watched her father abandon her. Then… he watched her die.

The room was chilly when he entered, and it wasn’t a pleasant type of chilliness either. It felt grueling and wearisome, almost as though the atmosphere knew death was near. And her scent— Dick could barely smell it even when he should be able to. That in itself was telling about how close her life was to wasting away…

There were pauses in Dick’s approach with his wheelchair but when the older lady looked up from her book, Dick no longer complied with the nervousness that threatened to overcome him. He couldn’t help that the first thing he noticed was the scars covering her bare arms, leading all the way up until her face. There were fewer scars there and the grey beanie she wore served as a reminder to Dick that she was suffering from a sickness that added to her previous pain. But it was her eyes that stuck out the most. Those eyes communicated more than Dick could ever say. They were similar to Rose’s in shape but they were similar to Dick’s in emotion— dull, tired, and void of any hope. 

_Dick knew those feelings very well._

“H-hi Ms. Worth. I’m sorry to bother you... my name is Dick Grayson.” His greeting was a hollow gesture compared to all that he could say at that moment, but he made do with it.

“A visitor?” She said in a weak voice, one alike Dick’s own. “I haven’t had one of those in a long time.”

Dick opened his mouth a few times, snapping it shut with hesitance. _What should he say? How should he start this off? He didn’t want to be abrupt with anything._

“Young man.” Dick blinked away his thoughts, staring back at the older lady. She’d finally closed the book and set it aside, now squinting in speculation. “Whatever you have to tell me, please say it. I want to finish this book before my time runs out.”

Dick felt nauseous. She spoke with expectancy as if she’d already accepted her fate. It made Dick think back on his own thoughts of dying and how he wasn’t terrified of meeting his end— but now he realized that it was just confusion. That was just him falling into the depths of his ever-unpleasant thoughts as he did more often than not. His fall was caused by his disbelief at the fact that he could _indeed_ die while giving birth. 

In contrast with his own thoughts and feelings, Ms. Worth’s acceptance of her own death was… real. Seeing her now made Dick want to survive. He wanted to have a healthy baby and he wanted to-

“He sent you, didn't he.”

The statement was nearly a question, but it never reached the wonder that questions usually have. And Dick knew who ‘he’ was. Like Jason said, she was ordered into silence and so it would seem that she was no longer able to say Slade’s name. Concerning how she even knew that Dick was connected to Slade, he didn’t know how, but he could only guess.

“That eye patch.” Her words trembled vulnerably. “There’s only been one other person who’s come to see me with that dreaded thing...” Lillian made a sound, similar to a laugh while her expression glowered. “He walked around in that damned thing with all the confidence in the world. And even though I was strong, I was never strong enough to go against him. They called me crazy when I tried to. They wouldn’t let me think otherwise, so I accepted it. They never believed me, even when I told them that it was an-”

“An Alpha order,” Dick spoke up, trying to control his distress so his pup wouldn’t react. “He stripped away your pride, all your hopes, and dreams, and made it so your only use was privy to how he saw you; how you made him think. It makes you feel like you’re going insane… as if you’re the one that’s done something wrong… as if you’re worthless...” The admittance wore him thin to the point where he didn’t even notice a tear had slipped from his eye. “Sorry, I-I didn’t mean to cut you off.” He quickly rubbed his cheek.

An unfamiliar emotion crossed Lilian’s face as she stared Dick’s way. “Let me see.” She said, causing Dick to roll forward. He watched the sickly woman leave the bed, rolling the IV pump forward until she was standing in front of him. The older omega pushed aside his bangs and Dick went rigid as she lifted his eye patch. No one except the Wilson family had seen him without it and Dick felt off-balance at the sudden exposure. 

“He did this to you?” She asked with a motherly tone.

“It’s a mark of betrayal…” Dick said, feeling another tear slip. 

“The mark of betrayal should be for that man only… That man has betrayed the very essence of life down to the very core.” Tenderly, she cupped his cheek. “How old were you?”

“Ten.” Dick forced out. “I was controlled by him for fifteen years.”

“Poor child.” She soothed, letting out a faint comforting scent. "Don't let this mark hold you back my dear. This shouldn't cause you to suffer for the rest of your life. You should be blessed that you're alive.”

She thumbed his cheek, wiping away the stray tears and Dick had never felt so at ease with the comfort of someone he’d just met. He soon noticed that it wasn't with distress that he was crying, it was with relief. He’d finally found someone else who’d been through the same thing and they didn’t reject the idea like Rose did— Ms. Worth actually understood him.

“This mark shouldn’t be defined as the betrayal of someone who you were never loyal to…” Dick blinked away his tears, feeling Ms. Worth pulling back. “This should be the mark of your survival as these,” She felt along the groves on her arms. “...are to me.”

 _Survival?_ Dick’s never thought about it that way before. And no matter which way he swung it, she was right. He may have been in so much pain, but… _he was alive._

“How did you escape?” Ms. Worth’s weak but gentle voice inquired.

“My soulmate and I, we found one another.”

The smile she gave was diminutive, but Dick could tell it was real. “That’s fate working in your favor, my dear.”

 _Sometimes it did. Most of the time, it didn’t._ Dick almost said but decided it was best to keep it to himself. With confidence though, he felt that now was the right time to mention, “Rose… Rose had one too, and eye-patch.”

The older omega gave a soft gasp. “My… Rose?”

Dick nodded, watching Lilian back away with her IV pump to sit down on the edge of the bed. She looked tired and so very weak, even more so after she said Rose’s name.

“Where is she? Where is my Rose?”

Dick averted his eyes, gripping the armrest of the wheelchair. “... I’m sorry.” Was all Dick had to say for the older omega to understand.

Lilian clapped a hand over her mouth, shivering as tears spilled. The soft crying went on for a moment and Dick could only sit there and listen. 

“I’m…” Dick looked up, finding Lilian’s expression so far away. It was as though she’d finally come to an impasse, leading her to whisper. “I’m so glad.”

Startled, Dick’s eyes widened.

“I would…” Lilian gave a bittersweet smile. “I would rather my Rose be dead than be under his control any longer.”

That was only something Lilian, Rose’s mother could say. Dick didn’t have a right to give his opinion on whether he agreed with it or not. She knew Slade far longer than Dick did and no one could take away that hate she harbored for him even if it made her glad that her own daughter was dead.

“I always wondered why Tiger stopped contacting me… Were you there?” The voice that parted Lilian’s lips was raspy with sorrow.

Dick slowly nodded, waiting for her to ask how she died, but she never did and it left him wondering as to why? Perhaps knowing that was too much for her to bear. Perhaps that's also why she didn't ask about the fifteen years Dick spent with Rose. And to some extent, Dick was thankful that she didn't ask. Telling her that his little brother killed Rose to save him… _how would she react to that?_

Nevertheless, Dick still felt as though he should tell Ms. Worth something that would give her an insight into who her daughter truly was. “Rose was free. In the end, she was free from every single order. Only on the brink of death, did the orders finally disappear.” _It was only when those orders disappeared, that Rose was finally able to say Dick’s real name._

“She called for you.” Dick began again, this time with a gentle smile. “Her last wish was to see you.” 

“My Rose…” Dick watched the older omega try and hold herself together. 

“I planned on having a funeral for her.” Dick continued. “If you wanted to come... before…”

“Yes. Please.” Lilian was practically begging, standing up only so she could grab Dick’s hand. “I would love to. Before my time is up, please let me see my daughter again.”

~*~

_The funeral was held on that following Monday. Everyone in the Wayne family was in attendance. Though because of Dick’s circumstance, only Jason was allowed to be near him. Only he was allowed to comfort Dick while Tim and Bruce watched at a further distance. Lilian said nothing during her daughter’s burial. She only cried, blotting her tears with a tissue as her nurse held her steady._

_Tim stood next to Bruce with guilt and self-hatred building the longer he watched on, but he said nothing. This was not the time nor place to reveal that he’d been the cause of Rose’s death._

_Bruce said nothing as well. All he could do was watch his mate from afar. And without any of them knowing, Holly Robinson was watching Bruce from afar as well._

_Sadly, Lilian Worth died in her sleep five days later. It was a month earlier than the doctors expected and Dick saw it as her one goal being finished— and that was to see Rose again. Dick regretted not visiting her as much as he could for those last days of her life. When they did meet, they talked about plenty, but not enough. There was so much he wanted to ask but he never got the chance to. Maybe all that she told him was all Dick needed to know. But the note she left, said otherwise:_

**_To Dick Grayson,_ **

**_Don’t worry about planning a funeral for me, my dear. All I ask is that I am buried next to my daughter on a quiet day before winter begins._ **

**_Thank you for letting me have the chance to see my daughter again. Give my thanks to your soulmate as well for paying for the funeral. I know we’ve only had a short time together but I believe you’ll be fine. I can see that you have a good heart and that you have a wonderful family. Keep them, as well as yourself, safe for as long as you live._ **

**_The revenge you told me about the last time I saw you— just know that I fully support it. I myself failed to kill him so I'm passing the baton to you. Please if you may, along with your search for him, I ask that you also find the woman who stole my daughter away from me and gave her to that evil man._ **

**_I remember that her hair was jet black and her eyes were cold... I can’t say anything more about her because of the Alpha Order, but I hope you can find something to prove my conviction._ **

**_In that, I think you might’ve been the victim of her kidnapping as well..._**

**_Do with them both as you will and get your revenge for all of us._ **

**_Best Regards,_ **

**_-Lilian Worth_ **


	43. Meaningful Growth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter took so long to post. I've rewritten this chapter like 3 times now and I'm still not as satisfied with it as I want to be. Also, this is a LONG chapter. Idk how I managed to make it this long but I guess this will make up for the two weeks I've been gone.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

**November 15**

_“His glands have fully matured, but this doesn’t necessarily mean he’s fully presented. Things like ruts will not happen until he is hormonally and physically mature enough— that’s just the natural order of things.”_ Dr. Dundee explained while looking at the ultrasound images. _“It’s the same for Cassandra. I’m not sure why she presented that young but from what I saw on her first check-up, it would seem that she hasn’t experienced a rut yet either. I'm not well-versed in Prime biology so I'm not able to give you a full analysis as to why. You'll have to take it as you see it._ ”

“Strange... Thank you for explaining that, Dr. D.” Tim said through the speaker. “I kinda assumed that, but I needed extra confirmation.”

_“No problem. How is your progress with the enhancer?”_

Tim sighed. “Not going so good. I have all the environmental chemicals I need, but the DNA isn’t modifying as well as I hoped— not like my other enhancer.” 

_“Are you still using substances from the original formula?”_

“Yes, in a way. I threw out the peroxisome proliferators and replaced them with finer metals. I’m testing out new mixtures every day.” Tim let out another sigh. “We have a time limit. Dick was given that enhancer almost two months ago and it took at least a month for the drug to attach to the pup’s DNA. I think this one will take the same amount of time, so I’m trying to finish this before December ends.”

_“Have you been able to look at the first attempt at changing dynamics? The one Rex made by using blood?”_

“I got a few samples that were confiscated by the cops for evidence, but I’m afraid to use it. What if having my blood is the only way for this to work? I don’t want to have to depend on that. I want this to be a long-lasting scientific breakthrough.”

_“Worry about one thing at a time, Tim. You have enough time before the New Year to come up with something. My advice would be to tread lightly, but quickly.”_

“That doesn’t exactly give me hope… Before I forget to ask, how’s Dick doing?”

_“Well, Dick’s distress has heightened quite a lot since Ms. Worth died. The pup’s scent is stronger because of it.”_

“How strong are we talking?”

_“He can barely get out of bed without the nurses help. He’s almost always asleep and he can no longer take care of Cassandra.”_

Tim frowned, wanting to ask the doctor if Cassandra was still there, but his question was answered when Jason walked off the elevator with said girl in tow.

_“I think he’s also weak because he’s trying to get the pup used to your scents.”_

It was just an assumption, but Tim thought if the pup found his and Bruce’s scent soothing and calming enough to rid Dick of his distress, then maybe the pup would no longer feel threatened by them. Bruce was reluctant to do this at first out of concern for making Dick even weaker than before, but eventually, he agreed. Moreover, Bruce and Tim gave Jason a bag of their scent marked clothes and sent him on his way. 

“Is it possible to give him a stronger dosage of the Pheromone Reducer?”

_“Hm… I’ll have to see. I don’t want to overdo it.”_

Tim hummed in agreement, watching Jason stop in front of his lab table. Right away, he found the envelope in Jason’s hand suspicious, even more so when the alpha slid it across the table.

“Dr. D,” Tim grabbed the envelope, flipping open the already torn flap. “I’ll call you again if I have any more questions.”

_“I’ll be happy to answer them, but I think looking into more of Rex’s research will help you come to a speedy conclusion.”_

“Guess I’ll have to. Thanks again.” Tim ended the call, now using both hands to slip the paper out of the envelope. “What is this, Jay?”

“Just read it.” Jason left Tim to his own devices as he looked around the room, eventually finding Cassandra over by the training mats. _How the hell did she always slip away so damn fast?_ Jason decided not to make a big deal out of it since she wasn’t in any imminent danger. 

“Her hair is jet black and her eyes are cold,” Tim mumbled aloud, gaining Jason’s attention. “I think you might’ve been the victim of her kidnapping as well…”

“What do you think?” Jason asked, sitting on the edge of the table, keeping Cassandra in his line of sight.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Tim frowned down at the letter, having to read it again for a second time. Mostly the last part. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to take from this except that a woman with black hair brought Rose to Slade and possibly Dick. What did Dick say about this?”

“Nothing really- I mean, he’s having a hard time doing anything so he didn’t say much. He just handed me the letter. I’m guessing he wants me to investigate.”

“You already have someone in mind, don’t you?” Tim recognized the look Jason wore as soon as he entered the room. It was that ‘knowing’ look and it was uncanny to his usual laid back one. Tim commended Jason for being smart in his own way; notably, when it came to asking the risky questions that no one else would even begin to ponder. Jason was as loyal as the rest of them and whether someone was family or not, he set his feelings aside when he deemed someone as shady. 

“I know I’m jumping to conclusions,'' Jason acknowledged. “But I’ve always wondered how exactly Slade was able to find Dick so quickly after the incident.” Jason’s taken into going through Bruce’s investigations from fifteen years ago which begged the exact same question no matter how many times he looked it over. Either Slade had been seeking Dick out for a long time before his parents died or perhaps an outside party was the one who called Slade in. Those were the only two options and the latter was looking more and more fitting as time went on. 

“If you’re thinking what I’ve been thinking.” Tim set aside his mug. “Someone who knew about Slade beforehand would’ve had to have been the culprit. That someone would’ve also needed a reason to call Slade in to come and retrieve Dick. It had to be someone who maybe had a problem with Dick… and _that same someone_ had black hair…”

“There’s something out of place about this entire thing.” Jason rubbed his chin, frowning. “I hate making guesses but… there was only one other person who was there with Bruce that night.”

“Your guesses just may lead us to something.” Tim supported his brother's presumptions. “Just like with Holly, we’ll have to investigate.”

“Answer me this first.” Jason lowered his brows. “Do you really believe Selina didn’t know about what her dad was doing back then?”

“It’s not a stretch by any means. If she _did_ know, then she would’ve been able to keep our clan out of the way… hiding amongst her enemy kinda thing.” Tim skillfully analyzed. “...Of course, I’m only guessing.”

With a scoff, Jason stood up. “Fuck this guessing shit. I’m going to Rex’s mansion to check things out. If it’s not her, then we’ll have to find another lead.”

Tim nodded, peeking at the elevator and lowering his tone. “If it _is_ her, you have to make sure you find viable evidence otherwise Bruce won’t believe it.”

“I know that.” Jason peered over at Cassandra, who’d now taken to pulling open a door to one of their weapons displays. “Hey! You little-” He swiftly ran over and scooped the young alpha up with one hand, holding her under his arm. “You really do get into everything, don’t you?”

“I can’t believe Dick left Cassandra with you of all people,” Tim said, watching Cassandra giggle and kick her feet as Jason carried her over.

“Actually, he left her with Alfred but he can’t cook and watch her at the same time so, here I am.”

“Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to bring her down here then, you idiot,” Stephanie said as she made her entrance.

“Steph, what a surprise.” Jason’s tone was sarcastic.

Completely ignoring Jason, she stopped in front of Tim, looking at him up and down. “Timmy, you look dead. Like, in the casket ready, dead.”

“I feel like I’m already in the afterlife.” Tim’s voice was monotone and floaty-like. It was to be expected, given his coffee intake and lack of sleep. He was practically drifting between the void of consciousness while also trying not to lose his mind.

“How long have you been awake?”

“Uh…” Tim pursed his lips. “Maybe… five- six days?”

Stephanie's mouth went slack. “You’re lying.”

“He’s not.” Jason verified. “Besides a few power naps here and there, he’s been awake more than a normal human being should.”

“I’m not a human any longer. I'm a ghost… drifting… out of reach...” Tim let his head softly hit the table, shifting until his cheek was comfortable against the cold surface.

Stephanie, stepped closer, reaching down to pet his hair like a puppy. “At least you’re still sane enough to joke around.” 

“Mm.” Tim hummed, slowly closing his eyes, feeling Stephanie remove her hand.

“Jason, don’t hold her like that.”

“What’s the problem? She likes it, apparently.” Jason said, hearing Cassandra giggle louder after hefting her up like a log of wood once more. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“Alfred called me to replace you as the babysitter.”

“Thank god,” Tim mumbled into the table.

Jason clicked his tongue. “I looked away for one second and this little knucklehead decided she liked sharp and shiny things. That’s not my fault.”

“Give her here, Jay.” 

Jason sighed before maneuvering Cassandra into the other alpha’s arms. “Hi, Cassandra. Remember me?” Stephanie asked sweetly, moving aside a few of the girl’s stray bangs.

She gave a short nod.

“You’re just so adorable.” Stephanie gently pinched her cheek. “I can’t wait to make you into a mini-me.”

“You seriously brought her more clothes?” Jason inquired, looking at the plastic bag Stephanie was carrying.

“I had to. I’ve always wanted a little sister and Cassandra is perfect for the taking.”

“Well hurry up and go do your fashion show thing.” Jason waved her off.

“Trying to get rid of me?”

“ **Yes**.” Tim and Jason said in unison.

“Fine. You guys suck anyway.” Stephanie replaced her glare with a smile when she looked at the young alpha. “C’mon, Cass. Let's go play dress up.”

~*~

**November 25**  
  


“Dick is… kindhearted, caring, chivalrous, and...”

Through the video chat, Barbara watched Bruce smile in thought.

“He’s self-sacrificing. He’s willing to risk his life for those he cares about. More than anyone I’ve ever met before. It’s the reason why I trust him with my life.”

_“I see… and what about Selina?”_

Slowly but surely did the smile fade and Barbara quickly noted it, hearing Bruce begin, “She was… very… very...”

There was a pause and a twitch of Bruce’s brow, two things that Barbara promptly took note of. She gave him a while longer to answer but when none came, she spoke. _“I’ve been asking you this same question for a while now and you’ve never given me a straight answer before.”_

“It’s been a long time,” Bruce spoke into his fist, monitoring the bookshelf next to his desk. “It’s hard to remember.”

_“And that’s completely natural, but you spent five years mourning over her death. There must’ve been something that kept you attached to her? You once said something about blaming yourself; about… owing her in some way. What did you owe her?”_

“She was there for me when my parents died.”

_“Weren’t Alfred and your cousins there for you too?”_

“Yes.”

 _“Then what made her so special?”_ Barbara watched Bruce contemplate through another long pause. _“What did she do for you, Bruce?”_

“She… she...” He frowned in frustration. “I don’t know why it’s so hard to answer this question.”

_“Let me ask you this, Bruce. Why did you ask Selina to marry you?”_

Bruce’s steady stare wavered before he said simply, “She was pregnant.”

 _“Oh?”_ This was the first time Barbara heard anything about Selina being pregnant. She now understood a little better as to why it took so long for Bruce to mourn because it wasn’t just _her_ death that kept him in that state of mind— it was the baby’s too. And that realization weighed heavily on everything they’d talked about up until this point.

“I asked her twice. Once when we were younger but, that wasn’t something we took seriously. The second and last time was a few months before she died…” Bruce explained solemnly. “She accepted Dick as my soulmate during that time too,” Bruce continued. “But when she told me she was pregnant, I had almost given up on finding him.”

_“So you felt obligated?”_

“I’ll never forgive myself for letting her and our child die.” 

Bruce didn’t exactly answer the question, but this information led her to a possible conclusion of Bruce’s attachment. 

_“So you didn’t propose to her because you loved her?”_

“I did love… I...” Bruce sighed, distressingly rubbing his forehead. 

_“Sometimes when a person is moving on,”_ Barbara started when Bruce didn’t finish his answer. “ _They start to see certain things about their past relationship that they were blind to before. This break in disillusionment happens when you’ve started to grasp reality. It could be anything from moving out of the country to finding a new job to falling in love with someone else. This doesn’t mean that you’re disregarding and replacing them. This means that you've made it to a point where you’ve allowed yourself to break away from that attachment that you’ve held onto for so long. Because of this, I would like to say we’ve made progress, but real improvement always comes with admittance.”_

Bruce finally looked at his laptop, seeing Barbara jotting things down. “Admitting what?”

 _“I want you to think about this seriously.”_ Barbara finished writing, glimpsing at Bruce’s stiff stature as if he was waiting for the inevitable. _“Was your relationship with Selina as good as you thought it was or were you lying to yourself?”_

\--

The session ended not too long after that and Bruce was left in a state of turmoil. He didn’t know how to answer that question because he didn’t want to think anything outside of what he believed in his entire life. Because Selina was… _Selina was..._

And yet, he found himself hesitating to complete what he thought about her. 

Barbara called it disillusionment, but what the hell would Bruce be disillusioned about? He’s known Selina his entire life. They were always together and despite that, he couldn’t find one good thing to say about her except that she was there to comfort him when his parents died.

_Why?_

Bruce soon grew tired of thinking about Selina altogether. It was harder to even concentrate on her for even a few short moments nowadays. He was more focused on Dick— he wanted to see him but he knew he couldn’t and he couldn’t help but blame himself. He ruined everything. All because he chose to put Selina over his pregnant mate. He couldn't even fathom doing that now. He didn’t know why he did it before. Especially since he couldn’t figure out why he compared a woman he couldn’t _say_ he loved to the man he did love.

~*~

**November 30th**

A soft gasp brought Bruce’s attention to the kitchen door, where he spotted Cassandra peaking through the small crack. In the two weeks that the young alpha had been here, she’d yet to feel comfortable around Bruce enough to come near him. She was overly cautious of Alpha’s especially, though it seemed Stephanie and Jason were able to easily influence her. Bruce figured his stance and his scent was a bit imposing to the small girl. For that reason, he’d kept his distance thus far and had taken to lessening the potency of his scent. It didn’t do much, but it had gotten her to the point of curiously staring at him rather than avoiding him completely. 

“Good morning, Cassandra.” He spoke softly, as to not frighten the little girl, and when she didn’t move from her spot, he proceeded on. “Did you want breakfast?”

The door creaked open a bit more and what followed was a small nod, but her eyes still displayed her suspicion. 

Bruce idly moved towards the fridge, opening the door. “Why don’t you choose what you want to eat this morning?” He stepped aside, inviting her in with a small grin.

As expected, she didn’t move at first. Her fingers remained gripped around the side of the door, watching him cautiously.

“Don’t worry,” Bruce’s smile was warm. “I won’t bite.”

Little by little she pushed open the door, stepping inside with her frilly yellow nightgown and matching yellow slippers. Bruce immediately spotted the difference between the clothes Dick picked out versus Stephanie’s. Dick’s were usually just regular pajamas with a matching top and pants, but Stephanie’s was more like an… experiment if he were being truthful. She came over when she could to simply try different things out on the younger alpha but since Cassandra didn’t seem to be bothered by it, no one minded. Bruce could only hope that when Dick came home, he didn’t have a problem with it either. 

Cassandra stared pointedly at Bruce as her slippers softly padded across the tiled flooring, stopping a little out of reach of the refrigerator. Still cautious, she looked up at Bruce, with an almost ‘ready to run stance,’ seemingly waiting for further permission.

“You can pick out anything you want,” Bruce reassured her, watching Cassandra slowly peer over at the fridge. As if Bruce just realized that she wasn’t tall enough to see everything, he was surprised to see the young alpha reaching up for Bruce to hold her.

Bruce picked her up with little effort, turning so they were facing the fridge, “There we are.” He made sure to steady her light weight as he opened the door to the freezer. “Can you see everything now?”

Cassandra readily pointed to the box of waffles, then to a can of whipped cream, grabbing a hold of the can when Bruce pulled it out.

“What else would you like?”

Bruce watched her frown, struggling to find the right way to communicate. Eventually, she perked up and tapped her finger on the red colored top of the whipped cream can.

“Red?”

She nodded.

“Strawberries?” Bruce guessed quickly and she nodded with a smile. “Seems like Alfred’s been spoiling you.” He said as he bent down and retrieved the strawberries before bringing Cassandra over to the barstool, tentatively sitting her down with her gown in the proper position.

He walked over to the toaster, his mind wandering to the dilemma about Cassandra’s relatives. After a couple of weeks of investigating he’d found that Cassandra’s parents were no longer trackable. Their travel logs established that they’d indiscreetly left the country with no trace insight. It would seem after selling her off to DS for good, they up and left without looking back. Regrettably, this meant they couldn’t be arrested for what they’d done, but as soon as they stepped back on U.S soil, Bruce would make sure they were detained.

He didn’t ponder on it for long and instead served the young alpha her breakfast, to which she responded with a _‘Thank you.’_ She truly reminded Bruce of Tim when he was younger. She was smart— learning Sign wasn’t as easy, but she picked up words fairly quickly. Bruce believed it wouldn’t be long before she was able to say her first word. He knew Dick, especially, would be looking forward to that.

Seeing how Dick acted with Cassandra did something to Bruce’s alpha. It was attractive that his omega was able to care for a pup even if it wasn’t his own. Dick claimed Cassandra as his without a hitch and mothered her with careful understanding and protection. Even if Dick didn’t think so, he was a natural and Bruce found it endearing.

“Is it good?” Bruce leaned back on the island counter, waiting for her response.

Cassandra nodded, happily swinging her feet back and forth as she stuffed another cream covered strawberry into her mouth.

At her reaction, Bruce huffed a small laugh, saying, “I planned on getting a few Christmas presents today. How about you come with me and pick out a gift for Dick?”

As Cassandra finished chewing, she nodded enthusiastically, smiling brightly and Bruce couldn’t help it if he thought it was… adorable.

~*~

**December 2nd**

Dick hasn’t read a book in fifteen years. The last book he read was at the age of ten and it was a children's book. For lack of a better word, he was a little behind in terms of having the chance to advance his reading level. That’s not to say he was illiterate. That was far from it. He thought of himself as a smart person. Over time, Dick had retained knowledge of certain vocabulary and real-world issues, but it was never enough to be ‘fully knowing.’ He’d been kept in a room with white walls and had been denied access to a clock or a calendar, to go outside, or to watch television on a regular basis. All of those things were rewards and they were rare when he got them. 

Even after recognizing that, he kept the book Lilian was reading the first time they met. And by the looks of it, she’d finished, considering the placement of the bookmark. It was placed at the very beginning and had now been moved a couple of pages into the first chapter where Dick had stopped reading. 

_He honestly hated this… He hated that adult literature was foreign to him. He was an adult, therefore he should be able to read this… right?_

Eventually, Dick set the book down on the overbed tray, sighing softly. Despite wanting to question his current intelligence which would build upon his pile of insecurities, he didn’t let those thoughts conquer him. He was done letting them get the best of him. 

_He was alive..._

That meant he could work through his setbacks. 

_He was alive..._

That meant he was here for a reason. Whether fate was on his side or not, _he was alive and he was a survivor._

Dick didn’t know why it took him this long to realize this, but if it hadn’t been for Ms. Worth, he wouldn’t have been able to see through his self-doubt.

Because of the Alpha order, Lilian wasn’t able to talk much about anything, but she was always able to optimize what they’d been through. She gave Dick the confidence to move forward because they were a lot alike. 

She was a trained fighter like he was who made a mistake and listened to her heart rather than her mind. She didn’t regret falling in love with Slade because then she wouldn’t have given birth to her daughter. She said Rose was a gift from fate, as were all children, but Rose’s fate had been disrupted by an outside distraction.

_A woman with black hair…_

That was all Dick had to go off of and no matter how much he wanted to investigate, he couldn’t. Dick was dead to the surface of the bed— not able to take care of Cassandra or stay awake long enough to even think about who that woman might’ve been. All he could do right now was wait for Tim to finish the enhancer and focus on healing his mental difficulties with Barbara’s help.

\--

Later that day, the Doc informed him about the possibility of Dick being able to take an even higher dosage of the pheromone reducer. It was so he could at least go home for the holidays.

_Going home..._

It sounded nice and Dick was all the more lonely since Cassandra wasn’t here every day. He could also admit that he wanted to go back to the Manor in hopes of retaining some sort of peace. He was still angry at Tim and Bruce, but he knew he couldn’t keep avoiding situations like this by not talking to them. Given that, Dick sent a quick text to both of them— thanking them for the birthday gifts that he still hadn’t opened yet. And for the time being, they would go unopened until Dick wanted to open them.

As of that moment, all he could focus on was accomplishing the one thing that would secure his wish at wanting to go home. To achieve being able to stand within talking distance of Bruce or Tim, he would have to get his pup used to their pheromones. For some strange reason, Tim’s scent didn’t affect his pup like it did the night of their fight. When Dick scented Tim’s shirt the first time, his pup didn’t exude an intimidating scent like he did before. 

The Doc seemed to think that Primes were somehow more attuned to each other's true intentions— as his pup was with Cassandra. There was so much mystery surrounding Prime bloodlines that Dick felt like he’d never know what it was truly like unless he became one himself… 

With Bruce, however… well, scenting his clothes wasn’t going as well as Dick hoped. 

Dick pressed Bruce's shirt to his nose, taking a deep breath, and immediately his consciousness began to waver as his pup’s scent grew stronger. He sighed, pulling the shirt away, already missing his alpha’s scent but his pup, on the other hand, didn’t find it that delightful. Even though Dick knew it was useless to even try and attempt to soothe his pup, he released his own pacifying scent anyway. 

Without hesitation he brought the shirt up to his nose once more, this time taking in short whiffs. He’d been doing this for two weeks now. The point was to fabricate some sort of scent bond between father and son— an exchange of trust that was reliant on the fact that Dick didn’t see Bruce’s scent as a threat. Dick figured if he exposed his pup to Bruce’s scent long enough— to show him that it wasn’t causing him distress, then eventually, his pup would come to accept it.

“He’s not a threat.” There was an unspoken sigh as Dick massaged his belly, voicing softly, “This is your father’s scent, dear one.” There was a note of optimism in his voice when he expressed the truth. It was evident that his pup understood that anger and sadness led to distress, but what he didn’t understand was that overtime, there also came forgiveness. His pup didn’t know that Dick had given Bruce one more chance, his pup only understood that Bruce's scent served as the originator of Dick’s distress. 

This in itself proved to be problematic, for it was just another reason nature made it so babies don’t present. They don’t have the common sense to understand anything outside of what their natural instincts were designed to do. Dick truly hoped he could get his pup used to Bruce’s pheromones before he saw him again.

“Kock, knock.”

Dick blinked over at the door, barely recognizing the voice, but seeing as it was almost ten o’clock at night, he should’ve expected nothing less than the nuisance _that_ was Bruce’s cousin.

“Come in.” The welcome was said with reluctance.

“Hi.” Kathy Kane breached the door, all cheers and smiling Dick’s way as if they were longtime friends.

“Sorry to bother you…” She paused an inch away from the door, hesitating. “I’m just here to drop something off for you.” She held up the small gift bag, briefly glancing over at the dining table where Tim and Bruce’s birthday presents sat unopened. “Guess, I’ll put it over there.” 

Kathy shied her way across the room, fumbling with the gift bag before placing it on the table. She then threw a parting wave Dick’s way and headed towards the door. And before Dick could sigh of relief at her fading presence, Kathy paused again, turning around with a timid smile. 

“Listen, I just want to say this one thing— to get this off of my chest.” 

Dick readily looked off to the side at a sight he found more appealing at the moment— The wall.

“I know you don’t like me, but I need to say this.” Kathy took a deep breath. “I am _so_ sorry; truly sorry for discrediting your entire situation with DS. I confess that I was the one that influenced Bruce to doubt you even more than he already was. That was wrong of me.” Kathy fidgeted with the hem of her dress shirt, continuing on.

“You didn’t deserve to be compared to Selina, nor did you deserve to be distrusted by any of our clan members. Your Brucie’s mate and I should’ve respected you as much as I do him.” 

Dick finally regarded her with a little more interest than before. It wasn’t much, but her apologizing for the comparison thing was what struck Dick as the most genuine.

“I know this won’t fix things immediately, but I needed to apologize to you. You’re a victim through and through and it should’ve never taken me this long to see that… that’s all I wanted to say.” Kathy grabbed the door handle and slowly backed away. “I’m really sorry to bother. Have a good night.”

“Wait.” Dick’s weakened voice stopped Kathy in her tracks and she was met by his curious gaze. “I’m a little confused…”

Kathy tilted her head. “Confused?”

“I appreciate your apology, but you all made such a big deal about my credence, especially as Bruce’s mate.” Dick’s gaze returned to the wall as he frankly questioned. “There has to be a reason everyone is so fixated on Selina to the point where they’d even have to make an apology like this.”

Kathy considered the question in all respects, having not expected Dick to ask this sort of thing, but she would try and answer as truthfully as she could.

“Selina was—how should I say—a very _charitable_ person,” Kathy explained in the best way she could. “She was always around when someone had trouble. _Always_. You got the sense that no matter what happened or how bad it was, she was ready to comfort you.”

Dick’s gaze flickered down, now looking at the blanket covering his rounded stomach.

“Because of that,” Kathy cautiously continued. “I think we were all dependent on her in that way. It’s hard to let go of someone who gave your hardships all the attention in the world when no one else did.”

“I see… she sounds like a good person.” The compliment was stale but he couldn’t help but feel less in comparison to her. 

“Selina,” Kathy began again. “As much as I hate to admit it, wasn’t all that good as we’ve made her out to be.”

Dick frowned at her admittance. He never expected her to be the one to say something opposite of what he thought Selina to be— a perfect angel.

“One thing I can say that differs from you and her is that you, Tim, and Jason have a wonderful relationship.” Kathy gave an authentic smile. “Selina was…” Her smile faded. “For lack of the better word, was not too partial with children as much as Bruce thought she was.”

With a frown, Dick looked up. “But I thought…” The words died on his lips. He wasn’t supposed to tell anyone she was pregnant, but he did vaguely remember telling Tim though.

“I always hated how she left Jay and Tim to fend for themselves when Bruce and Alfred weren’t around but that’s besides the point.” She shook her head, dismissing that topic. “Those guys… it’s obvious you’ve made quite an impression on them. They’ll defend you till the very end.”

Dick couldn’t help but smile at the thought. "It's the same for me. I won’t hesitate to protect them with my life.”

Kathy smiled too, knowing that there was truth in that somewhere even though she hadn’t witnessed it herself. “I truly misjudged you, Dick Grayson. I don't know how many times I can say sorry to you but if I want us to make some sort of friendship, then I will apologize every day if I have to.”

"You and Bruce… are a lot alike. With excessive apologies, I mean."

Kathy huffed a laugh. "I'll take that as a compliment. Well, it’s getting late and you look tired, I should leave-.”

“That gift, who’s it from?” Dick suddenly asked.

“You should see for yourself.” Kathy grinned as she quickly retrieved the present and handed it to Dick. “If you need anything, I’m right outside.”

As soon as Kathy left the room, Dick pulled out a small black box from the gift bag. Bruce’s scent was faint enough to not affect his pup’s barrier and he was glad for it too. _His birthday had already passed so what could this be?_

He let his fingers run along the grooves of the strange leather-covered box, eyes stopping on his name printed on the top corner in golden letters. Now that his interest had peaked, Dick pulled back the top and was greeted with a thin sheet of sky blue paper. Underneath the sheet sat a small info card and before Dick could read what was on it, his eyes caught the sight of an ethereal looking piece of jewelry.

Placing the info card on the overbed tray, Dick gently removed the jewelry, quickly finding out that it was a bracelet. It was a strange-looking thing, but it was those beautiful blue jewels engraved throughout the circlet that sought to hypnotize Dick forever. The deep blue hues looked as if it were glowing in the dim lighting of the hospital room. 

Shortly after, Dick was slipping on the bracelet and twisting his wrist back and forth, fondly watching the blue jewels flicker between a lighter blue and a darker green. He continued staring at it while he retrieved the info card and had to brighten the lights in order to read the small letters.

_Blue Opal & Black Steel _

Dick flipped over the card, expecting another message to be on the back, but to his astonishment, there was nothing. Dick wasn’t one to be wooed by material things, but if it was Bruce giving him something, then he at least expected there to be some sort of message. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a note on the next gift he received either. 

**December 5th:** Dick received another gift box (a lot bigger this time) and it was also delivered by Kathy. With a sigh, Dick easily took the gift and opened it with much more haste than the last time. What appeared, was a long black winter coat that was velvety on the inside along with a fluffy material lining the hood. Once Dick made an effort to stand up from the bed, he tried it on, promptly unhooking the side buttons to give the jacket more space to fit around his belly. It was the perfect fit, soft, extremely comfortable, and best of all, it smelled like Bruce. Dick missed his scent; he loved his scent and as natural as it would seem, Dick felt the need to add it to his current nest. But in hopes of keeping the jacket close to new as possible, he didn’t do it.

 **December 10th:** Dick received another gift. This time it was a box of shoes— black snow boots that matched well with his jacket. Dick wouldn’t dare try the shoes on this time, for the hardest thing for him to do as of right now was bend forward. He was struggling enough as is to put his socks on; so, he set them aside and assumed they fit perfectly.

 **December 15th:** Dick received a matching black steel necklace that had a thin bar extended down the middle. He easily slipped it around his neck, letting the cool steel surface hang flat against his chest. Immediately after, Dick was bringing one of Bruce’s newly scent marked shirts to his nose and finding that his pup’s scent wasn’t as potent as it was before.

 **December 18th:** This time around, the decorative gift box came with a small glass bottle of what looked to be cologne. Not just any regular cologne. This one was made to compliment a person’s pheromones. The cologne had to be personally made by someone who knew their lover's scent by heart. The fragrance smelled delightfully fresh and a bit earthy against his already sweet scent. Dick had actually been thinking about getting Bruce one for Christmas and after trying it out for himself, he knew that he had to. He honestly couldn’t see himself leaving the house without spraying it on. 

**December 20th:** Dick was finally given a higher dosage of the Pheromone Reducer. It was a few hours after it was administered that Dick could actually feel his body relieve itself of the heaviness. He could walk normally, his voice didn’t sound fragile, and for the first time in a month, he wasn’t able to smell his pup’s scent. If he were being honest, he sort of missed his pup’s scent. Though it was extremely vigorous, Dick had gotten used to it surrounding him. Now since it wasn’t, Dick could now go home. The effects of the Reducer usually wore off after a month or so and the doctor said he should be fine going home for Christmas all the way until the New Year.

~*~

**December 22nd**

“Do you need your wheelchair, Master Dick?” Dick turned around to see Alfred unpacking the car. 

“No. I’m all good.” With that, Dick started forward, walking down the familiar hallway leading to other parts of the house, but the omega focused on the tall doorway at the end of the hall. The outside and, from what Dick could see, also the inside of the Manor had been decorated for Christmas. From here, he could hear voices coming from the living room and the soft shadowy smell of burning wood from the fireplace. His steps were slow, but eventually, he made it to the living room. He first saw Bruce holding Cassandra up in front of the Christmas tree, patiently letting her hang a red ornament.

“It’s good to see you two getting along now.” Dick made his presence known.

“Dick.” Bruce’s voice was as warm and homey as the holiday atmosphere that surrounded the entirety of the house. He set Cassandra down on the floor and smiled. “You’re home.” The word ‘home’ sounded less like a greeting and more like a pleasant embrace and it made Dick feel all the more welcome. 

Bruce’s expression also looked softer and more content— fulfilled even. This could’ve been spurred on by the fact that Dick was wearing almost everything Bruce bought for him. The jacket, the shoes, the necklace, the bracelet, and best of all his favorite cologne. Dick wasn’t hiding the fact that he appreciated the gifts Bruce had given him— he’d long since accepted them as the courting gifts they were.

“I’m back.” Dick offered Bruce a tiny smile, before feeling something bump into his legs.

“Cassandra.” Dick practically cooed at the young alpha hugging his legs. “How's my little girl? Did you help decorate the tree?”

“Thankfully, she did most of the work.” Jason stretched as he stood up from the couch, watching Alfred come down the hallway with two suitcases. “Where’s his wheelchair?”

“In the trunk,” Alfred said on his way to the stairwell.

“I don’t need it, Jay.”

“Bullshi-Crap. You’re high risk.” Jason left through the door before Dick could say more and soon Cassandra was pulling him toward the tree.

“Oh,” Dick was in awe, watching Cassandra grab a box from under the tree, holding it up so Dick could see. “Is this my gift?”

She nodded, pushing it into his hands.

“Thank you.” He looked down at the messy attempt at wrapping and knew this must’ve been Cassandra’s doing. At the sight, he gave a genuine smile. “We can’t open it now. We have to wait until Christmas, okay?” Dick ran a hand through her hair as she nodded in understanding.

“What did you want for dinner tonight?” Bruce asked suddenly, gaining Dick’s attention. “I’ll buy you anything you want.”

“...Well, I’ve been craving wings lately.”

“Lemon pepper and barbeque with curly fries.” 

“Yeah, that’s it.” Dick was a bit surprised Bruce remembered that considering the last time he had wings was only a month after he first met Bruce. “I want to get a nap in before dinner.”

Bruce nodded, steadily keeping the same distance between them.

“It’s fine, Bruce. I’ve gotten him used to your scent… I thought the Doc told you that.”

“He did but I’m…”

“Worried?” Dick huffed softly, seeing Bruce agree. “You're his father, Bruce. I’m pretty sure he recognizes your scent to be just that.” Willing to show proof of that, Dick moved closer to his alpha, stopping only a few inches away. “Let’s just try and not make me distressed, alright? I’m finally able to move around normally and I want to keep it that way.”

“There won’t be any more problems.”

Dick held his stare, seeing a weighty seriousness there he'd never seen before. His emotions also held something that was inexplicably earnest. _Dick’s only been gone for a month, right?_ Of course, during that time he and Bruce hadn’t talked but… Bruce was a little... different, somehow…

“I’ll see you at dinner,” Dick said after seeing Jason walk into the room with his wheelchair.

“Is he…” Dick asked once Jason pushed him far away enough from the living room. “Is Bruce different to you or am I hallucinating things?”

Jason shrugged. “He seems the same to me.”

“Really?” Maybe he _was_ reading too much into it. Maybe it was because, after a while of being lonely, he’d started to miss Bruce. Or maybe it was because he’d finally made his ultimate decision...

Jason left Dick in a room he hardly recognized. It was his nesting room slash nursery and had changed drastically since he’d been away. The walls were now painted a dark red blending in well with the new chestnut-colored furniture. He stared at the room in awe, walking over to the new dresser and seeing a few wall decorations sitting there that had yet to be opened. It was all the decorations Dick put on the list to buy for the nursery. They were also the decorations everyone thought it would be the easiest for Dick to put up while they took on all the harder tasks.

Exploring the room some more, Dick walked over to the crib, running his hand across the railing until he was standing at the end of it. He stared down at the tiny bed, feeling his heart clench at the sight. _He was scared but... he was ready._ He’d been studying up, he’d come to terms with living, and he’d have his family there to help him through it. 

Turning to his nest, Dick first noted that it was untouched. And as comfortable as it looked, it was in need of a touch up with new fabrics and fresh scents— both Tim’s and Bruce’s clothes needed to be replaced. Since Dick was no longer feeling weak he was compelled to switch things out right now. The first thing Dick did was remove all of Tim’s clothes, holding them to his chest as he walked across the room towards the hamper

“Dick?” 

There was a temporary halt in Dick’s task after he heard a rather sleepy voice that was thinned by its hesitation. Dick faced his little brother, seeing his wary movements as he deliberately stayed on the other side of the door.

“You’re back.” Tim’s eyes flicked towards the clothes in Dick’s arms.

Dick took a deep breath before changing his original errand into an easier task. He should just give the clothes to Tim. They were his clothes after all. “Here.” He stood in front of Tim now, holding out the boy’s clothes for him to take.

With a rigid expression, Tim took ahold of his clothes, catching a whiff of his and Dick’s scent mixed together. “Thanks…” He mumbled as he tried to hold himself together. From what Tim could see, Dick had taken his clothes out of his nest… _his clothes and not Bruce’s._

“I’m back until New Years,” Dick said, causing Tim to look at the other omega who was now opening up his suitcase.

“I’m… I’m glad you’re back.” Tim took a step forward. “It’s been boring without you here.” He huffed an uneasy laugh, unsure if it was too early to joke around.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think about things while I was gone,” Dick said with his back towards his brother, confirming Tim’s uncertainty. Dick wasn’t looking at him nor was he engaging with Tim like he usually did. _He was still angry…_

“I don’t think I overreacted when I confronted you about lying to me.” Tim watched Dick set out a few clothes on the bed as he continued talking. “I know it wasn’t your fault entirely, but still… you know what Slade is to me… you know about my need for revenge and I’ve told you many things about myself that I’ve never told anyone else before… You of all people know how I hate lying.”

“Dick I-”

“I think you should go to Princeton, Tim.”

It was involuntary when Tim stepped back, but he did anyway because those words physically startled him. “But I thought you didn’t want-”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. Besides,” Dick finally turned to Tim with a small smile and a shrug. “It’s what you wanted to do, right? You’ll enjoy it.”

With crinkled eyes, Tim unconsciously held the clothes closer to his chest.

“I’m not mad at you, Tim. Trust me. I forgive you, but I…” Dick continued to smile but shook his head. “I just realized that I can’t depend on you anymore.”

Those words stung Tim’s very core.

“Well, I’m going to take a nap,” Dick said, turning toward the bathroom. “We’ll talk later, kay?”

Tim watched Dick close the door behind him, leaving Tim with a pile of his own scented clothes that were no longer a part of the nest he and Dick built together.

.

.

.

It was in the middle of the night after dinner; after Cassandra was tucked in; after Dick had gotten ready for bed that he’d finally gotten around to opening the present Bruce got him for his birthday. It was something he’d never expected to see. And for as long as he’d lived, there would never be anything more overwhelmingly meaningful than what he’d received at this moment.

Dick clutched at his pounding heart as he saw the image of him standing in between his parents. He remembered taking this photo and doing a short interview with some of the press in order to promote their circus in a more personable way. Flipping through the pamphlet, Dick saw various pictures of his circus family, those of whose faces he’d long since forgotten. He smiled, reading a few of the descriptions and trying to picture exactly how their voices sounded when they were answering the questions. As distant as the memory was, Dick knew he had fun growing up in the circus. There was never a day where he didn’t laugh and have fun learning trapeze. Back then, there was no question that he’d spend the rest of his life in the circus and that his parents would be there, happy for his achievements.

Flipping back to the page that featured his parents, Dick stood up from the bed, mind already set on finding his alpha. If he wasn’t in their bedroom, then he’d most likely be in his office which was farther than he wanted to go, but he went anyway. In this instance though, Dick didn't have to walk past the living room, for Bruce was already in the living room. The warm glow from the fireplace illuminated off the alpha’s form as he busily went through what looked to be a photo album, dropping images into a shoebox next to his foot.

“Bruce.”

With his brows knitted, Bruce looked up, first noticing that Dick wasn’t in his wheelchair. “Dick, you shouldn’t be walking.” He was standing up and at his side in a matter of seconds, he was by the omega’s side, holding him steady. Up close, he noticed Dick’s teary-eyed expression. He brought a hand to the omega’s cheek, ready to catch any tears that threatened to fall. “What’s wrong, pretty bird?”

“Where did you get this?” Bruce briefly looked down at the flyer before leading Dick toward the lounge seat. He made sure the omega was comfortably settled before taking his place next to his side, explaining in summary.

“I found it when I was cleaning out the storage.” Bruce thought he’d gotten rid of the last of Selina’s things before Dick even came back, but after looking through a few more storage rooms, he’d come to find more of her things. And he was shocked to find the flyer-like brochure amongst Selina’s things. _Why had it been there?_ _How did it get there?_ Bruce wished he knew. The obvious deduction was that it was Selina’s own copy that she’d gotten from the circus. If that were true, _why hadn’t she given it to Bruce when he’d lost his own?_

“I’ve looked online everywhere for a picture like this,” Dick muttered softly, falling back against the cushions. The ones he’d seen online had all been blurry action shots of them doing flips and not once had he found one with all three of them. “With the three of us together. So clear like this.”

“I would’ve given it to you earlier if I’d known I had it.”

“No, this is enough.” Dick leaned against Bruce’s shoulder, softly touching the picture. “I should have opened this earlier. All your gifts are wonderful but this one is better than anything else you’ve ever given to me. Thank you, Bruce.”

“You’re welcome.” Bruce murmured.

They sat in silence and Dick’s thoughts escaped to the other gifts he’d been given for the past month. He wasn’t aversed to courting as he might think, but he knew a traditional courting signified that an alpha had chosen someone worthy enough to be their mate. It usually came before a pair fully mated, but as the order of things went for them, let’s just say Bruce admitted he was wrong in the beginning by taking advantage of Dick’s feelings. In retrospect, courting was just a more serious submission than that of instinct as soulmates. It seemed like _Bruce was actually being serious about this... finally._

“Bruce, I don’t know if you already know this but… Alfie gave me a two million dollar check— in case I left you.”

“...I know,” Alfred told him in more of a scolding manner drenched in disappointment. Bruce didn’t say anything despite feeling a bit deceived that Alfred didn’t tell him about this beforehand.

“What do you think about it?”

“It’s apparent.” Bruce pressed in closer. “I don’t want you to leave.”

“Why?” Dick asked, wanting to hear Bruce explain.

“Because I love you,” Bruce spoke into Dick’s hair, holding him tighter as if his embrace could keep him safe forever. “It may be hard to believe, but right now, in my mind, there is no more Selina, no more doubts. I _am_ committed to you… I _want_ only you.”

Gazing at the warm glow of the fire, Dick gripped Bruce’s shirt, feeling their mellow scents intermingle before they naturally united. It was the first time he’d ever heard Bruce say he _wanted_ to be with Dick and that he was committed to him. Those words were all he’d been wanting to hear since he’d found out about Selina and to hear them now after all this time felt marvelous. And yet, he was still afraid to commit to this relationship himself. He didn’t want Bruce to hurt him again— not when they’ve made it this far.

“I’ve thought about what I’d do with the money all this time. I thought about what it would’ve been like to live on my own.” Dick allowed himself to concede, wanting Bruce to hear all of his thoughts. “And honestly, even as I pictured all of those things, I couldn’t find it in myself to go on living without you. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing but I… I don’t want to leave— I know that for sure. I love being here with everyone. I love being a family… I also said I’d give you one last chance.”

“I won’t hold you to that. I don’t want you to leave, but if you want to then…”

“I’m not. As of right now, I’m staying.” Dick moved to sit up, holding Bruce’s gaze with a severe proposition. “But before we bond again, I want us to start over. I want us to build a strong friendship; a companionship. I want us to work on ourselves mentally and emotionally so we can have a proper relationship. What do you think?”

Bruce squinted in a furtive manner, thinking as he looked past Dick’s shoulder. “I never thought I’d hear you say something like this.”

“I’ve had a lot of time to think. I’ve been seeing Barbara every week.” Dick looked down at the space between them. “I think it would be good if we do this.”

“I agree.” Bruce eventually decided. “We should start over.”

The tenseness of Dick’s shoulders relieved into a visible slump once Bruce agreed. “Okay then.”

A soft expression caressed Bruce’s features as he took a hold of Dick’s wrist— staring at the bracelet he’d given him. “I’ll court you properly and I promise to devote all my love to you.”

Dick chose to think the heat brushing across his cheeks was from the fireplace not too far behind him. He reacted in passing by looking off to the side and down at the floor where a box of pictures sat.

“I found them in storage earlier today.” Bruce suddenly explained, bringing the box to his lap before Dick could even make out who all was in the photographs. He was given the pleasure of looking when Bruce discreetly tilted the box his way. When Dick took out the small stack of photos, his happiness reduced to that of nothing after seeing child versions of Selina and Bruce.

“They were mixed in with some of my parent’s photo albums. I forgot I had them. I’m sorry that I’m just now finding them.”

“You don’t have to apologize for something you forgot existed.” Dick phrased as he restrained not to just throw the images onto the ground.

“I’ll call Kathy over now so she can take them-”

“Bruce, it’s 3 o’clock in the morning,” Dick scoffed a laugh. “Calm down, I’m not mad.” 

“But it’s-”

“Seriously, I’m not angry.” With mild delicacy he put the pictures back into the box, glancing up to see Bruce barely believing him. Dick sighed, “Me and Kathy have been talking… sort of.” There was no point in ignoring her especially since she was the one bringing in all of Bruce's courting gifts. Plus, she gave him a sincere apology and seemed to be open with talking about Selina whenever he asked. That was the one thing he liked about her. 

“She told me it’s been a constant back and forth of you asking if she wanted a few of Selina’s thing’s before you threw them away.”

“I’ve been throwing away everything,” Bruce reiterated for extra measure. “All Kathy wants are the pictures.”

“I know,” Dick sighed, giving a tiny smile. “I'm just happy to see that you’re dedicated to getting rid of all her things. With that, there’s also a few things I’d like to apologize for…. Your phone… it was immature of me to text someone without asking you first. It won’t happen again.” Dick wasn’t going to mention what Kathy said about them visiting Selina’s graveyard. Kathy confirmed that it happened before Bruce even started going to therapy again and tonight, he really just wanted to move on. He would leave it in the past.

“I also won’t coax you into saying certain things to me anymore. It’s been hard for me not to depend on you or everyone else, but I know I can't do that forever.”

“It doesn’t bother me when you do that.”

“Bruce,” Dick laughed. “You’re supposed to encourage me to stop, not influence me to continue.”

“I’m just saying I never minded.”

Dick rolled his eyes. “Of course you didn’t. But right now, I need you to be strict with me. Say you love me when you mean it, not because I ask you to.” There were a lot of things Dick needed to work on and he was glad that he was able to talk about it casually with Bruce. 

Spotting the photo album Bruce mentioned sitting at the end of the lounge chair, Dick retrieved it. “My family never had a photo album, meaning your parents must have loved taking pictures.” 

“They did,” Bruce said, watching Dick open to the first page. He silently flipped through the dusty crinkled pages of the album, letting the light from the fire reveal the assorted pictures of Bruce and his parents.

“You look so stoned faced here.” Dick chuckled at the mini version of Bruce dressed in summer clothing. “Aww look at this one. You’re in diapers.” Before Dick could react, Bruce pulled the album out of his hand.

“That’s enough for tonight.”

“Bruce, stop, give it back.” Dick laughed, quickly snatching back the album and opening it to the same page. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re so tiny and cute.” Dick saw Bruce eventually yield with a smile before he went back to looking at the pictures. “Your mother was really beautiful… ah, is this your grandpa?”

“This is really a gold mine,” Bruce mumbled, taking a close look at the photo. It was one he hadn’t seen since he was a child. “I really don’t know how I ended up misplacing this.”

“Careless Alpha. Without Alfred in your life, who knows how many things you would’ve lost.”

“I’m not that careless.” He smiled. “But yes, this is my grandfather.”

“Seems like that stone face was passed down.” Dick chuckled, after hearing Bruce sigh. “Okay, I’ll stop making fun of you now.” They went through a few more pages while Bruce talked a bit about the past and Dick gladly listened. He didn’t know how the conversation changed this quickly, but starting over made everything feel… fresh. But even without starting afresh, conversations always came so easily to them. He truly loved talking to Bruce, mostly when it was this casual. It was enjoyable.

Dick flipped to the last page, blowing away the dust before stopping to look at one image in particular. “Where was this one taken?” He couldn’t take his eyes away from the photo of Bruce’s mom standing in front of a wide field filled with tall grass. 

“Our vacation home in Colorado.”

 _This scenery… this field_ … Despite the picture being as faded as it was, Dick knew he’d seen this place before. _But where?_

“The cabin is up on a mountain. We used to catch fireflies around that area.”

Dick traced over the photo as a sudden throbbing as a headache surfaced. Quickly, he set the album aside and took to rubbing his temples with alleviation set in mind. “Hhn…” He groaned, trying his hardest to understand the swift images filtering through his mind.

“Don’t strain yourself to remember,” Bruce spoke gently, bringing Dick’s head to lay on his chest. “Babs said to take it in strides.”

“No, it’s okay. It-it’s not a flashback.” Dick closed his eyes and began to take deep breaths, relaxing against Bruce’s warm chest. His focus soon found the album once again and he watched the fire reflecting off the plastic covering the picture. "Bruce would you believe me if I said I've seen this place before. Not in a memory, but it was more like a... vision."

“What do you mean?” Bruce questioned softly.

"I know it sounds crazy and all, but I swear I’ve seen this place before.” Dick slowly pulled the picture out from behind the plastic, holding it up. “The field, the grass, the fireflies... with you, me and our…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a clear misunderstanding between Dick and Tim, btw lol.


	44. Holiday Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 🎃🎃Happy Halloween!🎃🎃

  
  


“A vision?” Bruce asked and Dick nodded.

Dick remembered the vision in pieces. Most distinctly about how he’d been robbed of sound until the very moment he said... a name? “It was real, Bruce. I promise. I held him in my arms… our son.”

Dick finally pulled his eyes away from the picture, finding uncertainty in Bruce’s expression. “You don’t believe me?”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just… odd.” Bruce grabbed the picture of his mother, studying the vast scenery. “I’ve never heard of anyone having... visions like this before.”

Dick felt the same way, but he would never deny what he saw. It happened when he and Bruce were forcibly separated. Back then, he would’ve done anything to get back to where he was right now— to be in Bruce’s arms once again.

“I know what I saw, Bruce.” Dick ensured his own rationale while also wondering why he’d been the only one to see it and not Bruce? “I know what I heard too,” Dick added.

Bruce glanced away from the photo, eyes landing on Dick’s hopeful expression. “What did you hear?”

“...Damian,” Dick spoke the name and it felt as if he were breathing air for the first time. “In the vision, I said his name… that’s his name… our son.”

“Damian…” Bruce tried the name while his eyes followed the curve of Dick’s stomach. “Damian Wayne.”

“I like it.” Dick gave a soft smile and placed a hand on his tummy. “It’s fitting.”

“I think so too.” Bruce committed the name to memory before letting his thoughts wander. “I want to know more about this vision. What did he look like?”

“Like this.” Dick pointed to one of Bruce’s childhood photos. “Except he was cuter. Of course, that’s because he inherited it from me.”

Bruce chuckled.

“And it was obvious I was the favorite parent.” Dick gloated some more.

“We’ll see about that.” Bruce challenged, letting the conversation unwind and continue on through the night.

Not many soulmates are able to meet our other halves so it was evident that Bruce and Dick were a rarity. Since you first saw me at that circus our fates were sealed. They were drawn together on more than one occasion which is why Dick believed that perhaps some soulmates just weren’t meant to be together while others are. Dick had been given a vision when he wasn’t sure he’d ever see Bruce again. Whether he'd remembered having the vision or not, it had secured a brief moment of what his life was like in the future and Dick could only hope Slade wasn’t alive when he got there.  
  
  


~*8 Years Ago*~

_Selina dropped down from the roof and onto the metal staircase. She looked over the edge of the railing and made sure Holly was waiting for her below. As soon as she spotted her, a voice entered Selina’s earpiece._

**_“You see anything where you are, Selina?”_** Kathy asked.

_“No, they escaped.” Selina sighed as she started walking down the stairs._

**_“The Risen group is a slippery bunch, aren’t they?”_ **

_“Very much so.” Selina agreed._

**_“I’m afraid we’ll never catch up to them.”_ **

_“We will one day. We just have to be patient.” Selina stopped short of the last step after hearing a clunking sound coming from inside the empty warehouse._

_Holly looked at the entrance of the abandoned building, giving Selina a quick glance before starting forward. Growing curious, Selina followed after and went through the entrance trying to pinpoint where that sound had come from. It could’ve been a stray Risen member, but Selina doubted it. All of them ran in the opposite direction and Holly— who’d been scaling the perimeter— would’ve seen them go inside. That being said, whoever was inside must’ve already been there._

_Stepping inside, the sound of whimpering brought their attention to the far right corner of the room. It was a dark corner, but even from here, Selina could make a dark silhouette out of a body slumped on the ground._

_“A stray Risen member?” Holly inquired in a whisper as she moved closer._

**_“Selina where are you? Bruce is waiting for us at the rendezvous point.”_ **

_Holly yanked out her earpiece and turned to Selina, shaking her head, prompting Selina to say, “If I’m not there when you are, don’t wait up for me.”_

**_“Selin—”_ **

_Selina cut off the line, following after the blonde omega. “Is it one of your members?” She asked Holly once they were close enough to the unfamiliar whimpering omega._

_“Yes… it’s-”_

_“H-help-”_

_Both Selina and Holly gave a screeching halt upon seeing a swift blade slice through the neck of the pleading omega._

_Selina stepped back, eyes widening as a man stepped out of the darkness and into the moonlight. He was… he was unexpectedly beautiful even by Selina’s standards which were first-rate and hard to reach in most cases. But… this beauty did nothing to hide the familiarity this man harbored._

_Selina knew that face._

_He was a child when she last saw it, but even so, she could never forget those distinctive features even when his eyes looked as dead as they did. Selina breathed heavily, her upper lip twitching as she stared at Bruce's soulmate with immediate disgust. She was in denial and she was afraid, for this man was near and Bruce was too. They were far enough to not know their mates even existed, but still, this was cutting it too close._

_“Are you the ones here to meet with my Alpha?” The man’s voice was tremulous and drowning in those deadend pupils of his eyes._

_Holly haphazardly kicked the dead alpha hard enough to roll him over onto his back._

_“My goodness, you killed one of my best men.” Holly sighed uninterestedly._

_“An Alpha that can’t control his instincts has no reason to live.” Keeping his face level with little to no emotion, the omega divested his blades into the sheaths that lined an ‘X’ down his back._

_“I can't disagree with that. Having consent is always the best course of action.” Holly smirked. “Where’s your Alpha, anyhow?”_

_He simply turned as a signal to follow and Selina begrudgingly went after him._

_“Holly, what is this?” Selina kept her voice low, falling in step with Holly. “You didn’t tell me you were meeting with Slade.”_

_“It was last minute.”_

_“Why is he here then?” Selina let his sights land on Talon’s broad back, seeing his silver collar glint in the moonlight._

_“I didn’t know he was coming along,” Holly whispered back. “I promise I was only supposed to meet with Slade.”_

_Selina grumbled internally. The rendezvous point where the rest of the Dark Knight clan was, wasn’t that far from here. They’d split up when it came to scouting out the Risen members and Selina followed Holly most of the way. If Holly had known Slade would’ve brought Bruce’s soulmate with him (and at such close proximity) she would’ve changed location immediately. Granted, Slade hadn’t been made aware that his Talon was indeed Bruce’s soulmate. Nevertheless, Selina had made it clear almost eight years ago that he should keep that boy out of Gotham._

_Once they entered another building closest to the pier, “Alpha.” Dick announced their presence, halting in place a few feet away from Slade._

_Slade’s eyes landed on Holly before he gestured to the door they once came, " **Keep a lookout**.” _

_Dick went stiff the second the order hit then answered, “Yes, Alpha.” As robot-guided as he was when he led them to Slade, he walked out of the door in the same manner— controlled and almost mechanical-like as if he had no will of his own._

_“He killed one of my best men back there,” Holly mentioned as a conversation starter. “Did you order him to do that?”_

_“Not directly.” A smirk lifted Slade’s lips. “The only thing that I’ve ordered Talon to do is to remain a virgin. If that means killing someone who dares to touch him in an intimate way, then so be it.”_

_“I would love to hear you explain further.” Holly engaged curiously. “As omega myself, I find it fascinating how you’re able to control his every single move.”_

_There was a smug air around Slade then. “I use them as a spectator would. Telling him one thing then branching it off into little things. It’s so that he doesn’t feel a sense of... freedom. Him, having a mind of his own would be useless to me.”_

_“Interesting.”_

_“Would you like me to demonstrate?”_

_Holly gave a humorless chuckle. “I’d rather you didn't.”_

_A tsk sound brought Slade’s attention to Selina standing a ways away from Holly._

_“Selina.” Slade eyed her. “It’s nice to see you again after so long.”_

_“I should fucking kill you.” Selina hissed, glaring at the alpha. “What the hell is he doing here!? I told you to keep that piece of shit out of Gotham!”_

_“Is there a problem?” Slade’s lips contoured in an amusing fashion. “What are you trying to keep my Talon away from here in Gotham?”_

_“That’s none of your business.” Selina returned with fire. “Just don’t fucking bring him to Gotham ever again. If you do, the deal is off and I’m dumping him into the harbor.”_

_Slade hummed in consideration, his eyes boring into Selina’s own as he thought deeply. “Are you perhaps afraid he’ll remember your face?”_

_“That’s one reason.” Selina met his inquiry with a quick response, for she was happy for the diversion._

_“Don’t worry, his memories are fickle. If we’re lucky, with a few blows to the head, he won’t remember anything by this time tomorrow.” There was a silent exchange between her and Slade. His slight smirk gestured to a more permissible action that had Selina peering over at the door._

_“I’ll take you up on your offer.” Selina started toward the exit, hearing Slade call after her._

_“Make sure you don’t kill my omega, Selina. I still have use for him.”_

_“I’ll try not to.” Selina nodded to Holly, knowing they’d meet up later. She never stayed around for long when Holly had meetings like this._

_Selina left the building in hopes of finding Talon quickly, so she could meet up with Bruce as soon as possible. Slade had given her leeway to do with Talon as she pleased. And if his memoirs were as fickle as Slade said they were, then maybe knocking the omega around would suffice as a way to get rid of her pent up anger…_

**.**

**.**

**.**

**December 24**

Waking up and rushing to the bathroom was the last thing Dick expected to happen on Christmas Eve, but there was no stopping his nausea once it came. Urged on by Bruce rubbing circles into his back, Dick coughed into the toilet, trying to control his breathing. With his head throbbing and sight straining, Dick labored through another panic attack spurred on by another intense flashback. He hadn’t had one in such a long time, especially the kind that came to him like a dream. He hated getting memories in this way because the worst of them always came like this. And closing his eyes only seemed to make the blurry faces and muffled voices worse as they passed through his whirling thoughts. 

_It was that voice again… he’s heard that voice before... he didn’t know whose it was, but he knew he recognized the tone. A woman? Yes. And… Bruce? She said Bruce’s name..._

As he struggled to remember, Dick started puking again with embarrassment stirring in the pit of his gut. Bruce had seen him like this a few times before, but it was still humiliating. 

“It’s alright.” Bruce comforted him. “Don’t force it. Take it in strides.” He made sure to keep Dick’s trembling hands stationary and apart, less he started scratching again.

Through the torment of his throat burning with acid and a headache piercing the entirety of his brain, Dick wasn’t able to calm down as fast as he hoped. After the nausea passed, Dick tried to relax by cleaning himself up, but that didn’t help. Not even snuggling up next to Bruce seemed to calm him down. He was just too worried about the current state of his flashbacks, to calm down fully.

Dick didn’t know why he wasn’t able to see anyone’s face. He was always able to see the full extent of the memories forced upon him. Now as of late, he could barely see or hear anything. They were strange almost, hallucinatory dreams that threw random words at him and spurts of pain he didn’t understand.

He knew for a fact he heard Bruce’s name; he knew it was a woman that said it and whether he could see it or not, he could feel that person had hurt him badly and he didn’t know why...

~*~

“You might have astigmatism.”

“A what?” Speaking around his popcorn, Dick looked away from the movie playing on the TV and at Jason.

“It’s a refractive error that comes with all-around blurriness, headaches, eyestrain, and constant squinting,” Jason informed while looking down at his phone, reading through the symptoms. “Major eye trauma can be a cause, go figure. Says here you’ll need contacts.”

“Those little clear thingies?” Dick tried to picture exactly how he’d put them into his eye. Unfortunately, it was looking like quite the difficult task.

Jason snorted. “Yeah, those _thingies_.” He set his phone aside, reaching for the remote to turn up the volume. “Let's just wait until an eye doctor confirms it.”

They had to push back the appointment due to Dick’s current circumstance. But he was just so tired of his strained vision that he was willing to know anything about what might’ve altered his sight.

“You know, Rose offered to train me with my impaired vision.” Dick slowed his chewing, thinking back Rose’s seemingly polite suggestion, growing sad as he did. “I wish I’d gotten the chance to take it. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to fight the same.”

“You’ll be fine, Dickie.” Jason reassured. “You may have to retrain yourself in some areas, but I think it’ll be easy.”

“Says the person with two eyes,” Dick muttered to himself, turning when he heard footsteps coming down the hallway.

Tim soon entered the room with a yawn. “Morning.” 

“Woah.” Jason perked up. “You actually came out of your dungeon today?”

Tim rolled his eyes, stopping in front of Jason. “I have to eat Jay and Bruce said I needed to get some sunlight, so I’m going out with him today.”

“To the interrogation _thingie_?”

Dick snorted.

“Yeah.” Tim sighed. “Since I sorta kinda knew Tiger, Bruce wants me to go with him and listen in as he, in your words,” Tim used air quotes, “ _Snitches_ on our behalf.”

With a satisfied nod, Jason uttered, “I can’t wait to see what else he knows.”

Tim shrugged. “Same, I guess.” 

“Tim,” Dick said, catching his brother's attention, seeing him look back almost reluctantly. “I heard you’ve been teaching Cassandra some new words while I’ve been gone. Looks like I’ll need some catching up.”

“...Yeah… a little bit.” Tim looked down, choosing to avoid further eye contact. “Maybe later.” He quickly briefed before he started towards the kitchen door.

Jason watched him leave, raising a curious brow and practiced his eye on a nonchalant looking Dick. “You guys still fighting?”

“No, not really.” Dick casually looked back at the TV. “I told him I forgave him.”

“How did you say it though?”

With confusion, Dick frowned. “In a regular way? How else was I supposed to say it?”

“It’s either ‘hey, I forgive you’ or ‘hey, I forgive you buuut…’ etcetera. Which one did you say?”

Going quiet, Dick chewed the last piece of popcorn, ignoring Jason's question. By doing that, it was easy for Jason to figure out which ‘forgiveness statement’ Dick went with.

“Dickie, we all know how you are.” Jason deadpanned, speaking bluntly. “You’re stubborn, childish, and a bit… petty at times. Not in a bad way but still.”

Dick scoffed but didn’t disagree. “I’m working on it, okay?”

“I wasn’t saying that you weren't but you still need to talk to him again.” Jason urged, pausing the movie so Dick would be forced to look at him.

“Jay,” Dick whined. “Come on.”

“He’s been working his ass off day and night trying to complete this enhancer. The least you could do is give him some support.”

“You’re scolding me?” Dick scoffed. “Have you forgotten that I’m the older brother?”

“I’ve been an older brother for far longer than you have.” Jason watched Dick slump at his affront. “I’ll say this much when Tim is down, I’m down. I hate being down. Fix it.”

Dick averted his eyes, slowly but surely conceding. “I’ll talk to him again to clear things up.”

“Now that's a big bro move.” Patting Dick’s shoulder, Jason stood up. “Now that that's settled, I need more coke.”

“Bring more popcorn too.” Dick handed him the bowl.

“On it.” Jason walked into the kitchen, hearing Tim end a call with a goodbye.

“Who was that?” Jason went to the pantry and grabbed another bag of popcorn.

“...Roy,” Tim spoke softly.

Jason didn’t falter in his task of putting the bag into the microwave, but his mind was doing something else entirely.

“I was just telling him my final decision— that I was going to Princeton,” Tim explained but received no retort. In the silence, he hesitantly peered up at Jason, seeing him set the timer on the microwave before looking back down at his cereal.

“He’s… cool, y’know.” From his peripheral, Tim could see Jason stiffen. “More than I thought he was before. I guess, I never really got to know him. I was a little on edge about going off on my own, but I think I’ll be able to relax with him around.”

“Tim,” Bruce poked his head in through the door. “Are you ready to go?”

“One sec.” Tim took one more bite, hearing Bruce say he’d wait in the car before he hopped down from the barstool. “Jay, would you mind rinsing out my bowl?” He said before quickly going after Bruce.

“Fuck.” Jason uttered under his breath, feeling a strange seething emotion begin to boil. It was enough to make him pull out his phone and call the very person who made him angry in the first place.

As soon as the ringing stopped, Jason spoke, “I thought we talked about this, Roy?”

 _“No hello? How’ve you been?”_ Roy chuckled. _“What’s your problem, Jay?”_

“I told you not to contact my brother.”

 _“Oh?”_ Jason could hear the smirk in his tone. _“This again, Jay? We’ve already had this conversation months ago.”_

“And I’ll say it again as many times as I want. Stay the hell away.”

Roy sighed and Jason recognized as one of his reasoning ones. _“Jay, let's talk Alpha to Alpha here. Tim is a Prime Omega. There’s bound to be other alpha’s who are attracted to him and want to... date. I know you feel the need to protect him, but I think it’s time you let that protective older brother thing die. He’ll be at school with me in no less than three weeks and so I will gladly take over the title as protector.”_

“I know you, Roy," A growl surfaced. "You touch my brother and you’re dead.”

 _“Woah, Woah, he’s seventeen, Jay.”_ Roy defended. _“Do you really think I would stoop so low?”_

“You’re still dead.”

 _“Yes, yes, I get it already. My life is in your hands.”_ Roy sighed again _. “I hate how it’s come to Jay. I really do, but you know it’s not really our choice. I only hope we can still be friends after it’s all settled. But let's be real here Jay, you’re his brother... Adopted or not, there’s no way in hell he’s choosing you.”_

~*~

_“Yeah,”_ Tiger nodded. _“Slade was working with someone else outside of his usual partners.”_

_“Did a group called ‘Risen’ ever come up?”_

Bruce asked through the transmitter, watching Gordon repeat his question through the two-way mirror.

 _“Not really.”_ Tiger scratched his chin. _“The only time I heard about Risen was when Rose sent that footage to them to send to the Dark Knight Clan. Otherwise, they were pretty hush-hush about a lot of things.”_

 _“Let's change the topic.”_ Gordon flipped the page. _“Are any of the omegas that were apart of DS, victims like Dick Grayson and Rose Wilson?”_

 _“All of these omegas are under at least a few orders. None of them are completely free.”_ Tiger confessed without difficulty. _“Then again, none of them are entirely good people either. Unlike Rose and Dick, they came here willingly. The ones that don’t know what they’re getting into, usually try and leave unnoticed but to Slade, that’s betrayal and that’s when he… hunts them down and kills them when they do.”_

“And here I thought Dick was just being petty when he said none of those omegas were innocent.” Tim stood behind Bruce, beside the coffee machine, taking generous sips.

 _“Ah,”_ Tiger perked up, having just remembered something. _“I forgot that we had an informant. They helped with trying to convince Dick to return to DS. They’re the ones that sent those videos.”_

With his eyebrows drawing together, Bruce leaned forward and Tim stepped closer to the glass.

 _“Who was the informant?”_ Gordon asked.

 _“I don’t know their name. Rose and Slade were the only ones allowed to meet with them.”_ Tiger wavered, thinking. _“Uh… Rose used to go to a club to meet the informant. It was called... ‘Go-Nightly? I think.”_

 _“Go-Nightly?”_ Gordon wrote down the name. _“Where is that located?”_

_“Stark Ave. in Bludhaven.”_

Tim was already looking up the location by the time Bruce asked the next question.

_“Do you recognize the name, Holly Robinson?”_

_“No,”_ Tiger shook his head, briefly glancing at the two-way mirror. _“Not that I can recall.”_

“That’s enough for today Gordon,” Bruce said while looking down at Tim’s phone. The club was real and from the image search, it was a huge place. Given the ratings, it was popular too.

 _“Well,”_ Gordon closed his folder. _“You’ve made bail.”_

 _“Really?”_ This time, Tiger blatantly glanced at the mirror again and Tim rolled his eyes.

“Are you sure about this, Bruce?” Bruce handed Tim his phone before putting on his jacket. “Did you forget that Tiger was the one that shot you?”

“That just lets me know he’s good with guns.”

“Jason’s amazing with guns,” Tim hyped up his brother. “We don’t need another gunman. Especially him.” Tim narrowed his eyes at the spy who was being released from his handcuffs.

“This is not official yet, Tim. We’ll have to see what he says.”

“Ugh,” Tim folded his arms. “Let's just get this over with. I need to get back to the lab.”

.

.

.

“Whiz Kid. It’s nice to see you again.” Tiger said after the waiter left with their order. “I'm not sure this greeting goes with the bags under your eyes though.”

Tim groaned in annoyance, childishly huffing. “I told you not to call me that.”

Tiger chuckled, his focus soon finding the Prince of Gotham analyzing him with keen eyes. “You paid my bail.” He spoke softer. “You must not be aware that I’m the one who shot you.”

“You got me good.” Bruce brought a hand to his left shoulder. “My shoulder doesn’t move as well as it used to.”

Tiger stole a glance at the half-empty restaurant, making sure no one was paying attention. “I guess what I’m wondering is why’d you pay my bail?”

“We’ve chosen to release you due to the nature of your job,” Bruce explained, thinking back to the files he’d read on the spy. “Your history shows your success in retrieving children who’ve been kidnapped by various criminals.” 

“You actually help your clients,” Tim said before yawning sleepily. 

“You say that like you’re surprised I’m a good man.”

“You’ve killed people.” Tim spat.

“So has he.” Tiger motioned towards Bruce.

“You irritate me.”

“Why don’t you come and work for me?” Bruce offered before Tiger could respond to his son.

Tiger lifted a brow, folding his arms as he leaned back against the booth. “Join a clan? That’d be a big change for me. I’m used to working alone.”

“See, Bruce? We don’t need him.” Tim began to stand up. “Let’s go.”

“Sit down.” 

Tim went down reluctantly with Bruce pulling on the back of his shirt. He huffed again, his irritation almost reaching its peak.

Tiger leaned forward, his smile flattening into a serious expression. “Are you all still looking for Slade?”

“Unfortunately.” Bruce steepled his fingers. “But we have no leads.”

Tiger sighed, looking down at the table. “Because you got me out of jail…” He swiftly peered at Bruce. “It wouldn’t sit right with me to just up and leave without helping. I owe you one.” 

The conversation took a pause as the waiter came back with their drinks. Denying her offer of food, she left and Bruce proceeded. “The offers open if you want to join permanently.”

Tiger nodded, glimpsing at Tim who was giving him an unconvincing smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Do you have a place to stay?” Bruce asked.

“No, but I’m good for it. I have savings.” Tiger said before glancing at Tim for a second time. “You seem like a respectable man, Mr. Wayne. Can I ask where the whiz kid got his little feisty attitude from?”

Tim practically snarled. “I’ll gut you.”

“Tim.” Bruce tried to warn but couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “That, I’m not sure of.”

Tiger huffed a soft laugh, feeling his apprehensiveness wear off enough to say, “I have one more question... Can you show me where Ms. Worth was buried? I want to visit her grave.”

He wanted to give her the proper goodbye he wasn’t able to when she was alive. Out of all the clients he’s had she had a special place in his heart, borne out of sympathy and pure humanity. All she wanted was her daughter back and Tiger had failed to complete that mission. As much as he owed Bruce for getting him out of jail, he owed it to Ms. Worth to put a stop to Slade’s antics as well. He’d work with the Dark Knight Clan for now, if only to get that accomplished.

~*~

**Christmas Day**

It’s been so long since Dick had celebrated Christmas, he’d almost forgotten how fun it used to be. Especially as a kid. Waking up at the crack of dawn, excitedly shaking his parent’s shoulders until they groaned in their own wake. His papa would make breakfast with syrup-covered french toast and hot chocolate then they would reminisce and tell random stories. All until the very moment, he got to open presents. His parents couldn’t afford much but receiving that one gift was enough. 

Dick had also brought one gift for each one of the members of the Wayne family. They were all meaningful in their everyday uses and it was all because Dick had been paying attention to the needs of everyone here. Prying comes in handy with things like this, but it’s not like he needed to sneak around anyway. He was always one to pay attention to the little things such as Jason’s favorite brown leather jacket. It was scuffed in places due to old age, but he still wore it despite that. It was in need of a replacement and Dick gladly took the responsibility of getting him a new one.

Alfred, and his fine collection of cufflinks that Dick had the pleasure of seeing. They struck him as simplistic but valuable. Alfred never asked for much, but the fancy box Alfred stored the links in was enough for Dick to deem them as important. Dick wasn’t a suit enthusiast, but being in the hospital with Kathy there to guide him along, helped him a lot. 

Bruce’s gift was easy since he’d already planned on getting him the pheromone amplifying cologne a long time ago. The hard part was figuring out what scent worked the best while he was stuck in a hospital bed, once again, relying on Kathy to bring him samples. 

Cassandra… poor Cassandra. The idea of Christmas was almost foreign to her in the means of opening gifts and spending time with family. Dick was made aware of this just yesterday when Bruce told him about her confusion with the entire concept. Thankfully, he explained it to her long before Dick got here and now she seemed happier than ever to receive a present she could rip open to her heart's content. A nameless kitten with dark black fur sat at the back of his mind for safekeeping. Her gift would come later on, preferably after February once he was no longer pregnant and hopefully free from those allergies. 

Tim… Dick’s supposed favorite person. And despite what had happened, he still was. That title was solely his for various reasons. Dick relished in the fact that he knew Tim like the back of his hand and this helped him find a gift he didn’t necessarily buy. Bruce bought it, but, Dick had a hand in convincing him to do so. He couldn’t wait until Tim saw it.

Dick checked himself in the mirror before looking back at that dreaded contraption of a wheelchair. Reluctantly making his way over to the damned thing, a striking blue glint caught his sight, causing him to peer at his partially unpacked suitcase sitting at the corner of the room. He pivoted after immediately recognizing the familiar wrapping paper from a present Tim had given him for his birthday. He _was_ going to open it two days ago but he hadn’t gotten around to it. Quite frankly, he’d been so busy hanging out with everyone else, he forgot.

“Need some help getting downstairs?” Jason entered the room, going straight for the wheelchair. He watched Dick move closer to the corner of the room.

“In a minute, can you grab this?” Dick pointed to the suitcase, moving aside and letting Jason squat to the floor and grab the box.

“You’re just now opening this?” Jason handed the box to Dick.

Dick sighed as he followed Jason to the wheelchair, sitting down with an explanation already in mind. “Don’t go scolding me again Jason. I already planned on opening it, I just forgot.”

“Is that so.”

It was evident Jason didn’t believe him, but Dick didn’t care. He’s been acting on edge when it came to Tim for a while now. Even more so after he overheard that phone call he had with Roy. It had been on his mind for days after that. Roy and Jason had fought one another when Tim first presented. It didn’t seem like such a big deal since nothing much happened afterward, but Bruce mentioned at some point that Jason and Roy hadn’t been exactly… cordial with one another— not like they used to be. 

Granted, Jason could’ve very well still been angry at Roy for not being able to control himself, or maybe it was something deeper than that.

Dick didn’t understand Alpha instincts in the slightest, but even he knew when two Alpha’s were at odds with one another, they had a particular reason for being so. And that usually meant rivalry. Dick wanted to ask Bruce about what an Alpha battling over an omega could mean, but he tried not to dwell on it for long. It was all in hopes of not bringing light to the fact that Tim had a crush on Jason, but still… with Tim going to college soon (and with Roy being there), this situation was bound to get out of hand.

_The real question was, if Tim had indeed chosen the winning Alpha, then how come he hasn’t been trying to mate with Jason this entire time?_

Dick had yet to ask him, but he figured it would be best to know sooner than later. It was his prying nature that called forth the need to know everything. In light of this, however, he would have to withdraw his ever-living stubbornness and make up with Tim again… fully… this time. Thinking back on it, Jay was right. Dick hadn't meant for their conversation to go that way. He simply wanted to explain to Tim how he felt about the entire thing in a calmer sort of way. In the end, he could see where he made a mistake and he planned on clarifying what he really meant to Tim later on. The sooner the better. 

Down the long hallway leading from the elevator to the living room, Dick could hear the light sound of piano keys playing a gentle tune. The sound was staggered, halting, and unsure in certain places up until it wasn’t. From there it would be clear with a precise burst of sounds.

Alfred started teaching Cassandra how to play the piano when Dick was still in the hospital. It was the first time Dick had seen her so focused on one thing before. Well, with Alfred as her teacher, it’s no wonder she was overly focused. He could be a bit intimidating at times, but overall, he was as warm and as heartfelt as a mother duckling.

“I swear, Alfred made all of us learn that same song— the Für Elise. Those days were horrible.”

“Let me guess, you liked to slack off?”

“I’d rather have had more guitar lessons than piano.”

Dick snickered as Jason continued past the music room and toward the living room. To his surprise, both Tim and Bruce weren’t there and Jason went off in search of them while Dick stayed in the living room. He stared outside the window into the backyard, watching as the little droplets of snow began to coat the grass. It was peaceful. And Dick couldn’t help but feel that all of it was a little _too_ peaceful. It almost didn’t seem real. He honestly felt like Slade was waiting somewhere ready to shoot him— that Slade could snatch him up any second now.

Dick chose to force those thoughts away and focus on the now. He looked down at the gift Tim had given him and ran his fingers across the wrapping paper. Dick thought that since it was, in reality, his birthday gift that it would be alright to open it before they did the Christmas gifts. With that logic already in play, Dick carefully tore open the paper, feeling something soft touch the tips of his fingers. Slowly, he slipped out a pair of thin straps connected to what looked to be an… eye patch.

Dick was at a loss for words. Out of all the things he expected it to be, it hadn’t been this. He held up the patch with a small smile, before looking down at the note that came with it.

**_To my favorite 1i’d badass,_ **

**_The eye patch the hospital gave to you just isn’t cutting it. You need something with the best quality. I took the time out of my day to make a special request to one of Bruce's many tailors. It may look hard on the outside, but it has the softest fabric on the inside and the cushionest band you’ll ever feel. It’s comfortable and easy to wash and I’m starting to think I should get paid for advertising it like this._ **

**_P.s. I don’t think I’ve ever told you this, but you’re my favorite person too! Who knew that we’d make it to this point seeing as how I didn’t like you in the beginning. I don’t know what my problem was back then, but who cares about that. Now, I can honestly say you’re the better older brother and I’m glad that you’re a part of our family._ **

**_Now go and fulfill my dream of being a pirate model. It’s your destiny at this point._ **

**_Happy Birthday_ **

**_Love,_ **

**_Tim_ **

Dick was smiling by the end of the note, eagerly going back to read it from the beginning. He found that he loved Tim’s handwriting. It was reminiscent of the days they spent passing notes back and forth. As well as the word ‘1i’ which, as promised, Tim changed his contact name too. 

Dick casually took off his current eye-patch when Bruce, Jason, and Cassandra entered the room. He could tell Jason and Bruce weren’t prepared for it as they politely made minimal eye contact with Dick and went to sit down in their respective places on the couch. Dick understood their actions, for they’d never seen him without his eye patch before. But this random spark of confidence Dick was having, had them sparing glances his way.

Dick put on his new eye-patch, adjusting the straps around his forehead, and just like Tim said, it was soft against his skin.

“Well,” Dick dropped his hands in his lap, looking up with a small smile. “How do I look?”

“Good.”

“Beautiful.”

_‘Cute’_

Dick laughed at the unanimous response before glancing around the room for his missing brother. “Where’s Tim?”

“Still downstairs.” Jason sighed. “I told him to come up, but he wouldn’t listen to me.”

“I’ll go get him.” Dick faced the hallway with his wheelchair. “You guys stay here.”

\--

It didn’t take long for Dick to make it downstairs where he found Tim sitting in front of his new lab setup. Tim was so focused on his work that he didn't even notice Dick rolling in.

“Tim?” Dick said, not distracting the omega in the slightest. “Timmy…” He tried again, then once more, “Timbers.”

“That one's new,” Tim mumbled, his voice trembling slightly as his foot tapped rapidly against the floor. Even after he answered and knew Dick was there, he didn’t look away from the beaker.

“Tim. It’s Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.” He mumbled, still not looking up. “I-I’m just working on… I’ll get it done before you know it. Just give me some time.”

From a distance, he could see a coffee machine had been set up along with a multiple of coffee bags as well a few energy drinks.

“Tim, how long have you been awake?”

“Long enough." Tim replaced the vial on the rack and grabbed another one, not really paying attention. 

Dick sighed and wheeled closer. “Go to sleep, Tim. We’ll open presents when you wake up.”

“No,” Tim said distantly before repeating the word, “No, I can’t. I have to create the right mixture that’ll be able to enhance your DNA just at the right margins without affecting-”

“Tim-”

“If only I could figure out why the formula keeps diluting, I can come up with something. Maybe I need more cadmium or more chromium? Yeah, that sounds right… more chromium.” Tim quickly wrote down.

“Tim, please just-”

“But I have to be careful when mixing the two or I’ll end up polluting the mixture and making it toxic.”

“Are you that mad at me?” Dick finally decided to ask, knowing Tim would have to answer.

“I’m concentrating.” Was all Tim ended up saying.

“So you’re mad at me.”

Tim sighed loudly before going on one of his rambles. “If you must know, yes, I’m mad at _everything_ right now. Nothing is going as well as I hoped. In the end, everything’s my fault. _I’m the bad guy._ ” From this point on, Dick could feel Tim’s emotions start to fall into a pit of sorrow. 

“I’m the one who killed Rose. I could possibly kill you if I don't hurry up and finish this. Oh and let's not forget, I have feelings for my own brother. Imagine if the public found out about that one, huh? Adopted or not, there’d be a riot.”

“Tim.” Dick tried again, feeling Tim’s mood deflate even more.

“I hate myself, Dick...” Tim uttered softly, taking his hands away from the table, staring blankly at his work. “I really do... More and more every day I do. And to top all it off, I’ve ruined my relationship with you because I decided to lie. So yes, I’m angry... But don’t worry, after I’m done with this, in just a few weeks, I’ll be out of your hair and on my way to Princeton.”

After a moment's hesitation, Dick spoke. “Tim, I think you misunderstood what I meant the other day.”

“What am I misunderstanding? Huh?” Tim finally looked up at Dick, a crease forming between his brows. “I understand perfectly. I understood as soon as you gave me back my clothes.”

Dick looked off to the side, almost sighing in regret,

“That was _our_ nest, Dick.” Tim proclaimed. “And you snubbed me, just like that. Do you know how insulting that is to your pack omega?”

“I-I gave you those clothes because I was refreshing my nest, Tim. That’s all I was doing.” Dick began to explain. “I got rid of Bruce’s clothes too and replaced them with new ones.”

With pent up frustration, Tim pushed his chair away from the table, standing up. “You always have an explanation for everything. There’s no way you could just get rid of my clothes, say you can’t depend on me then act like we’re good the next day.”

Guilt settled in Dick’s heart and he kept silent, unsure of how to respond. He didn’t think the clothes situation would insult Tim so much. Frankly, he wasn’t aware that nest sharing was that big of a deal, but he knew his lack of knowledge would be seen as an excuse at this point.

"The faster I finish this, the better your life will be.” Tim moved to another table, where a microscope sat.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Tim.” Dick followed behind. “I really didn’t. I... I did say that I couldn’t depend on you anymore and I can now see how that sounded harsh, but it wasn’t meant to be that way.” Dick wheeled until he was directly next to Tim’s chair. “When I said I couldn’t depend on you, I meant that I was trying to work on myself; trying to get rid of all the things I rely on in an unhealthy way. That includes you.” Dick reached out and touched Tim’s hand, wanting the omega to look his way. Though Tim didn’t peer back, Dick could feel his sorrow start to slowly ebb away.

“When you said you wanted to go to college, I jumped at the chance to make you stay. It’s because I didn’t care about your feelings back then. All I wanted was for you to stay here with me… and I was selfish for thinking that.”

Tim stared down at the pack mark on Dick’s wrist bringing his fingers to brush against the tiny grooves.

“I’m sorry Tim. I really am.” Dick watched Tim’s fingers. “Can you forgive me? Can we forgive each other?”

Tim brought his focus away from Dick’s wrist and to his pleading eyes. There, he noticed Dick was wearing the eye patch he gave him.

“Can you please hurry up and forgive me before I start crying?” Dick sniffled, giving Tim an expectant smile. 

“Pft, remind me to never get pregnant. I want to avoid those hormones at all costs.” 

Dick snickered, reaching to hug the other omega and was glad when Tim returned it.

“Plus, did you just admit you were selfish? What did Babs do with the old Dick?

Dick laughed. “Trust me, he’s still here. I’m just learning to keep all these selfish thoughts to myself. It’s hard as hell.” He sighed and pulled back, seeing Tim give a tired smile.

“Don’t beat yourself up, Tim,” Dick said suddenly. “Don’t blame yourself for what happened to Rose. You had to do what you had to do… her death solely rests in her father's hands, not yours.”

Tim looked down, trying hard to believe that.

“And, you’ve got a good future ahead of you, Tim. Whether Jason likes you back or not, I’m sure you’ll have a fan club of Alpha’s to fall back on.”

With a laugh, Tim rolled his eyes. “For once, I actually believe you.” He insinuated and Dick knew what he meant. Tim’s garnered a lot of attention ever since he presented and because of this, Dick was a little wary of his dynamic being enhanced.

“So, the enhancer.” Dick started, needing to know more to be prepared. “Mind explaining what you’re trying to do?”

Science talk with Tim secured Dick’s full trust in his knowledge of creating a new enhancer. Though he didn’t understand all that Tim said, he could tell that he’d been doing his research.

“I’ve narrowed the chemicals down to two finer metals that can be used to alter our dynamic DNA,” Tim explained. “If I can just figure out how to balance the mixture, I can cure it, test it out on baseline DNA, and have it ready within six days.”

“Six days…”

“Think about it, Dick. Once I’m finished with this, you’ll never have to deal with another alpha order ever again.”

An invisible weight lifted off of Dick’s shoulders as he thought about the possibility. “Never?”

“Besides Cass and little Dick,” Tim gestured to Dick’s belly. “Out of the 7 billion people in this world, you’ll probably never meet another Prime Alpha. Ever. You’ll be practically invincible.”

 _Then my revenge will be sealed,_ Dick thought, pulling his hand away from his stomach as he separated himself from the child baring duties he’d have to partake in very soon. 

.

.

.

The camera’s automatic flash went off, capturing a picture of everyone standing in front of the Christmas tree. Before long, everyone was talking and laughing while opening presents.

“Three dollhouses, Bruce… excessive.” And Dick wasn’t going to bring up the fifteen plus coloring books Bruce had gotten her. And also the kiddy bike, a studio art desk, and easel— which could have been spurred on by how much she liked to color. And most of all, a huge outside playground set— well the flyer anyhow. The people wouldn’t come by to set it up until further notice. In any case, Cassandra was excited even without knowing what half her gifts were.

“This is nice, Dickie.” Jason smiled while trying on the black leather jacket.

“How does it fit?”

“More than good.”

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Tim snickered as he read the quote on the coffee mug. “Another mug for my Jason Christmas Gift Collection.”

“Hey, I thought extra hard about this one…" Jason folded his arms. "It’s your favorite color this time.”

Tim rolled his eyes but gently put the mug back into its box.

“Tim. I have something to show you.” Bruce called as he stood up, motioning Tim to follow him to the front door. Jason rushed over to Tim and covered his eyes with his hands.

“Jay,” Tim complained, but eventually, let Jason do whatever the fuck he wanted.

Dick was a bit unsteady on his feet, but he followed after with Cassandra at his side. Opening the front door, blowing cold air into the foyer along with a few scattered leaves.

“This weather sucks,” Jason commented as he awkwardly walked behind Tim and led him outside to the very first step. 

“Can I look now?” 

Jason answered by pulling his hands away, and everyone watched Tim go stock still.

“This… this is mine?” Tim peered over his shoulder at Bruce, his eyes wide with anticipation.

Bruce’s nod, caused Tim to whip his head back around to the red sports Coupé, sitting a few feet away from him.

“It’s awesome!” Tim exclaimed and Dick was floored with his excited emotions. Tim suddenly turned around, running up the few steps and smashing into Dick with a hug. “Thanks, Dick!” He squeezed hard then pulled back.” And little Dick.” He mentioned it as an afterthought.

Dick laughed. “His name is Damian.”

“Oh, I like it!" Tim smiled. "It has a nice ring to it.”

“Wait,” Jason spoke up. “I’m pretty sure B here was the one that bought the car.”

“Yeah,” Tim walked over to Bruce and patted his arm. “You did good Bruce but without Dick convincing him there would be no car… so, keys?” 

Bruce raised a brow, eyeing Tim expectantly.

Tim sighed loudly, awkwardly looking aside. “Thanks for the car... Dad.” He said softly.

“You’re welcome.” With a smile, Bruce handed him the keys, watching him quickly scale across the driveway until he was on the driver’s side of the car.

“Go with him, Jason,” Bruce said.

“Already on it.”

“No speeding,” Bruce called after them, watching Tim throw up a quick okay sign before getting into the car with Jason following after.

Dick waved as they drove off. “You know he’s going to speed, right?”

“It’s snowing, I hope he’ll take precautions.”

Dick chuckled. “Yeah, hopefully.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major things happening in the next chapter!  
> Don’t worry, I won’t leave you guys hanging with the Selina flashback.  
> I set the very Last chapter to 55, but that’s just an estimate. 
> 
> Chapters will start coming out in 2-3 week increments. I have been losing motivation as of late and I think it’s because school is stressing me out. Don't worry, I'm not gonna ghost you guys, I just need more time.
> 
> Yes, it’s Tim’s car, Redbird lol.


	45. A Gift from Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cue the Dramatics...

**December 28th**

“You wanna hang it here?”

Cassandra nodded, holding up another piece of construction paper that had been doused in the new paint and glitter she’d received for Christmas. Dick swore he could make out a shape somewhere within the black glob spattered in the middle— a bear or maybe a wolf? Well, whatever it was, Dick gladly accepted it. He then gave Cassandra all the excited praise she needed and tacked it to the wall right above the dresser. 

“And, there we go.”

Dick stood back and looked at his finished work. The wall decorations spanned from mostly stars that glowed in the dark, a couple of framed pictures that had the most clichést quotes inside, and little trinkets lining several shelves. This, mixed in with everything Jason and Bruce already did, made the room look homely and most importantly, complete.

“How does it look, Cass? Good?” He looked down at the young alpha clinging to his legs. She moved away only to Sign, _‘Pretty!’_ before clinging to his legs once more.

“I think so too.” 

Cassandra reluctantly removed her hold as Dick went to open the curtains, bringing in more light. He briefly stared out at the back yard garden before facing the crib behind him. There, sat a few blankets and stuffed animals, waiting to be scent marked but Dick decided to wait until it was closer to the due date to do so. A tap on his leg made him look down.

_‘Baby?’_

“Yes.” Dick ran a hand across the crib’s railing. “There’s going to be a baby sleeping here soon.” He watched Cassandra bring a small hand to his stomach, patting the roundness. “Yes, from here.” He confirmed with a smile before moving to his nest and tapping the space beside to him. “Sit next to me, Cass. I wanna talk to you about something.”

She obediently plopped down beside him, peering up at the omega, ready to listen.

Dick took a deep breath before starting. “We’ve never really talked about this before but I just wanted to let you know that I don’t plan on having you go anywhere else other than here.”

Cassandra cocked her head in confusion.

Dick smiled, bringing down a hand to run through the girl’s short locks. “Basically what I’m saying is, I want you to grow up here…” Dick pulled his hand away, almost shyly asking, “What would you think about me becoming your parent… officially?”

Cassandra stared at Dick blankly, seeming to close in on herself before frantically shaking her head. Dick frowned and opened his mouth to question her, but she quickly responded before he could.

_‘Parents are bad.’_

“...Bad?” Dick said hesitantly, hoping he wasn’t reading the Sign wrong.

Cassandra’s lips formed a hard line before she nodded. _‘Hurt me.’_

A lump caught in the back of Dick’s throat and he had to force himself to breathe, watching Cassandra continue.

 _‘Parents don't like me. Parents hurt me... Parents are bad.’_ Cassandra concluded with a firm stare.

“C’mere.” Dick pulled Cassandra closer to his side, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “I promised you I would never hurt you, remember that? Even as your parent, I would never hurt you.”

Cassandra pulled away, looking up at Dick with a hopeful gaze. _‘Parents aren’t bad?’_

“Some… some parents are bad,” Dick answered truthfully as he released a soothing scent. “But not all of them. Parents aren’t supposed to hurt their children, Cass. Parents are supposed to be gentle with their children. Sometimes they can be firm, but that is so they can guide their children in the right direction. Parents can be playful too.” Dick playfully ruffled Cassandra’s hair into a frizz and she smiled. He huffed a laugh and pulled his hand away, giving the young alpha a warm look. “I won’t be one of those bad parents, Cass. I’ll be a good one… what do you say?”

Cassandra held Dick’s stare, seeming to ponder the sincerity of his statement. In the end, she didn’t answer and chose to look down at her lap, idly kicking her legs back and forth. Dick was a little saddened to see Cassandra not agree but he wasn’t here to force her to concede. She’d come to the conclusion that parents were bad due to her past and Dick understood that completely. Holding on to something that was presented to you in a bad way for so long, was a hard belief to break out of. 

Admittedly, Dick still… he still liked to be praised. He wanted to— all the time, he did. And no matter how many times he forced the thought of Slade praising him away, it always came back. It was the same for his feeling of worthlessness and his guilt. They all lingered within his mind and Dick knew Cassandra was probably having the same problem. He often wondered if she could communicate properly, would she talk about it more? Probably not, but who knows.

“Do you like living here?” Dick asked to clear up the solemn mood.

Cassandra gave a nod.

“Do you like Tim?” Dick asked.

_‘His scent.’_

“Ah, his scent.” Dick nodded, pondering once again what it was like to be Prime. There was something there that regular dynamics weren’t able to experience and Dick couldn’t help but wish Tim would finish the enhancer sooner so he could see for himself.

“What about Jason?”

Cassandra’s eyes brightened and she smiled. _‘Snacks!’_

Dick laughed, not expecting anything less. “How about Bruce?”

Cassandra paused, thinking… _‘Big, tall.’_

Dick snorted, already knowing he’d tell Bruce what she said later on.

 _‘Like being… up.’_ Cassandra added.

“You like it when he carries you?” Dick hoped that’s what she meant.

Cassandra nodded excitedly. _‘Fly!’_

“Feels like you’re flying?” Dick laughed a little more. “That’s my adventurous little girl. We’re the same. When you’re older, we’ll go skydiving together.” He said, soon explaining to her what that meant and how much fun it would be.

“Now, for the final question. Dick straightened up and cleared his throat. “What do you think about me?”

_‘Favorite! Best!’_

“Really? Aw, Cass…” Dick felt tears pricking in the corner of his eyes before he pulled Cassandra into another hug. “You can’t do that to me. You’re my favorite too. Just don’t tell Tim.”

“I heard that,” Tim said as he passed the room by dragging his tired feet down the hallway.

Dick snickered, concluding that in reality, everyone here was his favorite person.

~*~  
  


_“You disappeared for a while. Jay said you were out of town?”_ Roy inquired.

“Yeah, out of town…” Tim paused, steadily measuring the clear substance in the beaker before putting it aside. “Sort of.”

 _“Sort of, huh?”_ Roy chuckled. _“In that case, if you really don’t want me to know, I’ll respect your privacy.”_

“Wow, that's very virtuous of you.” Tim lightly teased, reaching for the mixing tool. “I didn’t know you were that type of person.”

A shuffling sound came through Tim’s speakerphone before it cleared away into Roy’s reply. _“It’s because we really haven’t gotten to know each other that well.”_

“It’s because you’re friends with my brother, not me.”

_“Who says we still can’t be friends?”_

“I don’t think Jay likes it…”

_“Ignore the hothead. He’s just being overprotective. You’ve forgiven me right?”_

“I mean...” Tim pursed his lips, trying to recall what happened that day but the memories still came back blurry. From what Dick told him, Roy never even got the chance to touch him. He drove the thought away and refocused on mixing. “I’m fine with it. It’s not like anything happened.” 

_“I’m not here to scare you,”_ Roy affirmed, his tone earnest. _“I’m here to make it up to you. I’ve been working on my control and I can say for sure that you won’t have to ever worry about… that happening again.”_

Tim thought: _Roy couldn’t hurt him even if he wanted to. Jason was strong and Tim’s Omega reveled in that strength._

“You’re very open with talking about this stuff.”

 _“I’m a very open person.”_ Roy chuckled softly. _“Especially with you, little Timmy.”_

“Tim!”

Tim quickly set down the beaker and grabbed his phone. “I gotta go.”

_“Text me later.”_

“Later.”

“Tim.”

“Jay,” Tim stood and turned around, forcing his expression to wilt with innocence. “I was just- Oh.” Tim blinked, and let out a breath after seeing Dick wheeling towards him. “I thought you were Jason.”

Dick rolled to a stop and raised a brow. “We sound nothing alike, Tim.”

“Sorry, I just panicked.” Tim pocketed his phone and faced his lab.

“Hiding something?”

Tim sat down. “No.”

“... No secrets, remember?”

With indifference, Tim started stirring the mixture again. “Jason’s been acting a little weird lately— when it comes to other alpha’s, I mean.”

Dick nodded. “We’ve all noticed.”

“I like it…” Tim stopped mixing and trained his eyes on Dick. “When he gets mad.”

“Tim…” Dick exaggerated a gasp. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“What?” Tim shrugged. “It’s whatever.”

“Using other alpha’s, one being Jason’s best friend, to try and make him angry? Are you turning evil? What if one of them actually likes you back?”

“Pft, Roy doesn’t like me like that. If he did, I wouldn’t be doing this. That’s just cruel.”

“You’re playing with fire, Tim,” Dick warned.

“It’s getting nowhere anyway, so it doesn't even matter.” _Seriously, Jason was such an idiot._ If this idea didn’t pan out well then Tim was going to give up entirely.

“How do you feel, by the way?” Dick asked just as Tim went back to mixing.

“About what?”

“Your instincts, with Jason basically winning and all.”

Tim ceased his task, swiveling his chair and giving Dick his full attention. “It’s hard to explain how I feel. With me being Prime, I’m confused. But I guess the easiest way to explain it is that… I feel nothing.”

“Nothing? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s like… I’m able to control my instincts. Not when I was feral, but right now. I may feel drawn to the winning alpha but not exactly.” Tim explained. “I think it’s because I’m Prime and essentially, Primes are superior to regular dynamics. I can cast aside that instinctual feeling that draws me towards a certain thing and live normally.”

Dick frowned, growing all the more confused. He didn’t understand what Tim meant. “So you’re saying you feel superior… somehow?”

Tim pursed his lips. “Like I said, it’s hard to explain. I’ve never talked about it before because I know I’d just sound conceited but I’m serious, Dick. Besides being able to smell scents, I feel no different.”

Dick stayed quiet, pondering heavily on the thought.

“Don’t worry, Dick, you’ll understand what I mean soon.”

When Tim finds out more information about Prime dynamics, he will. And with that information, he hoped to understand a few things. It was because Tim always found himself thinking back to what Slade once said:

_“For centuries people have been trying to make something like this. To alter dynamics into whatever they want. There have been various experiments done on this subject but they’ve always failed and their attempts were covered up by the higher authority; governments… The reason being, there simply can’t be too much of one Dynamic in the world, can there? Society needs to have second genders ranked into certain classes merely for the means of control. The Prime bloodlines were forcibly run out for that exact reason.”_

What if Slade was right? What if Primes were forcibly run out on purpose. And maybe that reason was being hidden from the public eye. Tim then thought about Rex's research and how he found that people who are at least eight generations away from the old Prime bloodlines have all been coincidentally born as Rare Defects.

There was definitely a connection there and when Tim was done with this enhancer, he’d make time to research further into it.

“Even if you’re not feeling anything, instinct wise,” Dick said, subtly reverting the topic. “Then Jason probably _is_ feeling something, which is why—”

“I hardly doubt it.” Tim waved that entire notion off, not wanting to get his hopes up. “Let's worry about that some other time. I need to focus on curing this mixture.”

With a sigh, Dick dropped the topic and silently watched Tim work while he inevitably thought more about what it would be like to be Prime.

~*~

**December 31st**

“Shit.” Dick looked at his shirt, seeing damp spots where his nipples were located. _Not again._ It was inevitable that this would happen and ever since he read about it online, he reckoned the day that it would. The little bit of chest swelling he was used to but the lactating was something he’d rather not have. With reluctance, Dick hauled himself to the bathroom in order to deal with the mess and change into another shirt. 

As soon as he finished the annoying chore, Dick received a video call from Wally. He quickly left the bathroom and sat in the nursery’s rocking chair before answering the call. Their greeting was as short as it always was and before long, Wally got to the point.

_“We’re all going to Times Square to see the ball drop tonight. Wanna come with?”_

“Um… I can’t- not because I’m trying to avoid anyone, it's just, I'm high risk and I have to use a wheelchair.” Dick answered sadly. “Plus, Bruce and Jason won’t let me out of their sight so...”

 _“Right, I should’ve guessed that.”_ Wally looked as if he wanted to say more about the situation but from all the voices in the background, he didn’t speak on it. _“Well, there’s always next year.”_

“Next year for sure,” Dick said, seeing a few people poke their head into view before Wally moved the camera away. “I see you have an audience.”

 _“Sorry bout that.”_ Wally gave a bashful smile. _“They’re all just curious._ _Donna, Kory, stop scaring him.”_

“It’s fine.” Dick laughed.

_“It’s one of those ‘if you’re friends with me then you’re friends with them too,’ kinda things. I hope you don’t mind.”_

Dick shrugged. “No, I’m cool with it.”

_“Get ready for hell because there’s six of us.”_

“I’ll prepare for the worst then.”

Dick soon ended the call and let out a much-needed sigh. A group of friends, huh? He’s never had more than one friend before. His family moved around a lot so there was never a chance for him to have grown up with anyone. _Wouldn’t it be weird to intrude on Wally’s group like this? What if they didn’t like him?_ Looks like he'll just have to wait and see when he finally had the chance to meet them.

\--

“I kind of want a canopy.”

“No canopies,” Bruce replied gruffly.

Dick looked up from the window seat and at the closet, where Bruce had gone in to rummage through for God knows what. From the angle he was sitting at, he didn’t have a clear view of the closet so he just assumed Bruce was cleaning things out again.

“But you said I could pick out anything I wanted.” Dick pouted as he brightened the laptop screen and scrolled through the online room design catalog.

“I said you could pick, but when you do, we have to agree. No canopies.”

Dick huffed. “Fine, we’ll go with the bed frame you chose. Gray, modern, boring. You could at least let me add a sort of pop color to all this dullness of yours.”

“Whatever color you want.”

“Pink.”

“No.” Bruce rejected without wasting a breath.

“See!?” Dick exclaimed. “Stop saying that you're letting me pick when you reject my choices every single time.”

Dick could hear Bruce sigh. “What color do you _really_ want, Dick?”

“Either royal or navy blue for the linens, curtains, pillows, and stuff.”

“Navy blue is fine.”

“I knew you were going to pick the darkest one. I accept it though.” Dick murmured as he added that color to the list.

“I also like this one step platform thingy— the one that goes under the bed. It isolates the bed from the rest of the room. I want it.”

“You can add it.”

Dick smiled. “Good. And how long are you going to be in that closet?” He asked as soon as Bruce came out with a suitcase and two suit filled garment bags.

Setting the laptop aside, Dick sat up and watched Bruce lay down the garment bags on the bed. “What are you packing for?”

“I have to go out of town tomorrow. Bruce huffed. “To San Francisco. The trip was thrown together last minute.”

Dick steadily stared at Bruce’s suitcase. “For how long?”

“About two weeks. If I’m lucky, I’ll be back earlier.”

“For work…” Dick moved to sit on the bed and Bruce followed in suit.

“I’m meeting with a few potential buyers, things like that. And well, I’ve been catching a little bit of flack about the Dynamic-less drug due to my grandfather's donations... I need to make a statement to clear things up.”

“Can’t you…” Dick gripped the edge of the mattress. “...Can’t you do it some other time?”

“I can’t. I’ve been holding it off for too long.”

Dick’s shoulders slumped. “California… How far away is that?”

“It’s about four hours by plane.”

“That’s… far. I think you should stay, I mean… it’s too far away.” At least when Dick was in the hospital it was about twenty minutes away from the Manor. But this was... Dick was feeling that same nervousness again. Similar to when Tim first said he was going to Princeton.

“Can’t they come here?” Dick asked, really hoping Bruce could change his plans.

Bruce wanted to say yes, seeing as Dick was feeling anxious but… “It’s formal that I meet with them there.”

Dick shook his head, muttering under his breath, “It’s too far away.”

“Pretty bird.” Bruce reached for the omega’s hand, rubbing circles with his thumb. “I’m sorry.”

Dick forced himself to take a deep breath as he’d been doing all the time when he encountered this type of feeling. Barbara had given him some tips in order to calm down, mostly on how to keep his thoughts to himself; breathe; admit that he was anxious, and try to think as to why he was in the first place. 

_He was still afraid. What if something happened to Bruce while he was gone? Better yet, what if something happened to him?_

Dick hated having thoughts like this and when he did, he usually turned to the pills Barbara prescribed to him but even so. He knew he couldn’t depend on that forever though.

“Kat will be going with me,” Bruce said to sate Dick’s worries. “And I’ll have Jean guard you when you go back to the hospital tomorrow.”

Dick nodded with reluctance before leaning his head on Bruce's shoulder. “Make sure and call me every day and—”

“Guys.”

Bruce and Dick set their attention on Tim. He stood at the door with bright eyes and a wide smile, a feeling of euphoria flowing through him and towards Dick.

“I did it.”

The paranoia left Dick as he released a breath and curled a hand over his belly.

“I finished it.”

.

.

.

“The Prime Enhancer, as I like to call it, takes about 3-4 weeks to fully attach to a person’s DNA.” Tim held up a vial of clear liquid and looked as smug as ever as he explained the drug’s effectiveness. “From there, the dynamic altering chemicals will make work of your entire biology until the very last strand of that inferior molecule disappears completely.”

“Did you just call us regulars, inferior?”

Tim held his chin up. “Of course, I did.”

Jason scoffed, folding his arms. “Care to create Frankenstein next, oh Master of all Scientist?”

“Shut up, Jay.” Tim stopped his pace before correcting, “And it’s Frankenstein’s ‘Monster’ not just Frankenstein.”

“I don’t care.”

“What’s this one?” Bruce said, pulling another vial out of the vial holder.

“Um… it’s Rex’s formula.” Tim watched everyone give him questioning looks.

“You drew your own blood?” Dick began to search for marks on Tim’s arms.

“No, I didn’t add any of my blood to it.” Tim unconsciously pulled down his sleeves. “It’s just the chemical mixture. No. Blood.”

“Then why do you have it?”

“Because…” Tim turned around and handed Alfred the vial. “If I wasn’t able to come up with this formula fast enough, then I would’ve had to use Rex’s as an alternative.” Tim didn’t face the group of speculative onlookers and instead watched Alfred suck the enhancer liquid into a syringe.

“It’s because I know that Rex’s formula works within seconds. And if I needed to use it, it would’ve held you over until you were finished giving birth.”

“But doesn’t it wear off?” Dick inquired, seeing Tim turn away from Alfred as he brought out a needle cap.

“It does after five hours… that's why I created more just in case you were in labor for more than five hours.”

Thankfully Tim finished his own formula before January, so he could avoid drawing his own blood and using Rex’s formula. All he could do now was hope Dick didn’t go into labor any earlier than February.

“Where would you like me to administer it, Master Tim?”

Tim made sure he didn’t look at the needle as he faced his family. “His scent glands would be the best place to put it.” Although his arms were fine, Tim calculated that it would take faster if it was administered directly at the source.

“Your hair, Master Dick.”

Hesitant, Dick pulled his hair to one side, feeling the cool air hit the dreaded rejection mark on the back of his nape. His heart beat loudly as Alfred drew closer-

“Wait!”

Tim looked up just when Alfred respectfully hid the needle behind his back. “What is it?”

“Are you sure this is going to work? 100 percent sure.”

Glancing away, Tim leaned back on the table.

“I trust you Tim, but I just need to know for sure,” Dick assured him.

“It's…” Tim bit his lip, soon giving Dick a tentative stare. “It’s success rate sits at about 96%. With Jason’s DNA, sometimes the molecules froze and diluted instead of mutating. But I can assure you that even if a few of your cells dilute, more of them will mutate into Prime cells. A 90% DNA alteration is all you need. So, a 96% success rate is not a bad thing at all.”

Dick looked over at Bruce seeing him nod with approval.

“You can trust this drug, Dick,” Tim reassured him. “I promise; I swear on the grave of the parents that abandoned me that this _will_ work.”

Dick maintained eye contact with Tim while he stuttered, “...O-Okay... you can do it, Alfred.”

Dick held his hair in place with one hand and let Bruce grab his other one as Alfred closed in on him once more. Bruce’s, as well as Jason’s pheromones, soothed him as the needle pierced his skin. And when it was all over, Dick was left wondering:

_What’s the worst that could happen?_

~*~

**Wednesday, January 13th**

“When are you going back to the hospital?” Tim stuffed his second duffle bag full of clothes into the trunk and was thankful there was still enough space for another one. He was glad Jason decided to pack some of Tim’s stuff in his own car and trail after him all the way to Princeton. It was nice of him to do and well… if Bruce hadn’t made him do it, then Tim was sure Jason would’ve been locked away in his room as of right now.

“On Monday, when your classes start,” Dick replied as Tim lifted up his last duffle bag and tucked it away.

“I’m glad Dr. D let you see me off.” 

“Same…” Dick said solemnly.

Tim huffed and shut the trunk, giving Dick his full attention. “What’s wrong?”

“...I don’t want you to leave,” Dick spoke with a small voice

“Dick.” Tim sighed.

“I just…” Dick stammered. “First Bruce went out of town and now you… both of you going so far away is...” 

“Dick, we’ve already talked about this.”

“I know. I’m not going to make you stay like last time. I was just telling you how I felt.”

Tim held off on complaining and instead chose to comfort. “I’ll be back for spring break. That’s in two months. Think you can hold off until then?”

“I’ll try. But you have to call me, every day- no, every day.” Dick corrected. “Every night before you go to bed.”

Tim gave a slow nod, not agreeing. “How about every other night?”

Dick tilted his head, considering. “...Okay. I can do that- Oh! And before I forget.” Dick stuffed a hand into his jacket pocket and Tim curiously moved closer. 

“It’s for your protection,” Dick said and Tim watched him pull out three small boxes of condoms.

“Dick!” Tim screamed in a whisper, glancing over his shoulder, making sure Jason was distracted with packing his car.

“I read this message board where people talked about their college experiences. You could catch something if you’re not safe.” Dick’s tone was almost motherly and Tim had to force himself not to cringe.

“Dick, I told you to stop reading those forums.” Tim scolded as he awkwardly peered down at the condom boxes. “This stuff doesn’t happen to everybody.”

“Just take them.” Dick forced the three boxes in Tim’s hands, not moving until Tim held them on his own. “There’s three different sizes for variety. Not every Alpha has a big c- ”

“STOP!” Tim quickly turned to stuff the boxes into his empty glove department and huffed as he let his body relax on the passenger seat. “Please tell me that’s your last surprise for the day?. If not, please kill me now.”

“It’s the last one.” Dick couldn’t help but laugh. “But if you want me to suggest some products for your own… personal needs, I will and-”

Tim quickly held up a hand, giving Dick a halfhearted glare. “Dick, just stop… I can promise you now, _nothing_ will happen.”

“Call me if something does.”

Tim rolled his eyes, looking out the other car door at Jason, internally pleading for help. “Jay! Can you hurry up? I wanna leave now.”

“Make sure and wear your collar at all times.” Dick proceeded to warn Tim despite knowing he was annoyed. “Don’t take it off until you’re in the shower. When you go to bed, make-”

“I’m not sleeping with the collar on, Dick.” Tim instantly rejected, but Dick’s firm look didn’t let up.

“Make sure your door is locked when you take it off. And make sure you have-”

“Have an extra pack of suppressant pills on me at all times, I know. I have a few in my backpack, a couple in my car, and I’ve even set an alarm just for taking them.”

“...Okay, you seem prepared. I’m sorry for fussing, I just-” Dick took a shuddering breath.

With a guilty sigh, Tim stood up and hugged the older omega. “Don’t cry, Dick. I know you mean well.”

“Tim, I’m all packed up.” Jason closed the trunk to his car. “Let’s go. I wanna get back home before it starts snowing again.” Turning around, Jason leaned his elbow against the top of the car, watching the mushy scene before him.

“You could leave the day before class starts, you know?” Dick hugged Tim closer.

With a sigh, Tim pulled back. “I have to check into the dorm. And since I registered late, I have to meet with the advisors.”

“C’mon Dickie,” Jason moved to lean against the hood of the car. “Timmy’s gotta go.” He yawned, looking behind Dick and seeing Alfred and Cassandra enter the garage.

“Master Tim.” Alfred gave the omega a warm look. “Try and not forget us while you’re away.”

Tim laughed. “You guys, I’m only going to be gone for a couple of months.” Despite saying that, he hugged the butler anyway and took what looked to be a container of food, out of his hands. “Thanks, Alfred,” Tim muttered before looking down at Cassandra

_‘Bye Cass. I’ll miss you.’_

_‘Bye-bye!’_ Cassandra hesitated, looking down at her hands before responding further. “ _I’ll miss you too!’_

“Perfect!” With a prideful smile, Tim gave her a high five. “You’re already smarter than Jason ever was.”

Dick laughed but Jason remained unbothered.

“I’ll make sure and call so we can practice over video chat,” Tim added.

“And I’ll make sure she’s said her first word before you even get back,” Alfred spoke with a promise. “Don’t forget to call Master Bruce while you’re on your way.”

“I won’t.” Tim held the container of warm food to his chest, inching back towards the driver’s side of his car. “Well, I guess this is goodbye for now.”

“I love you,” Dick called after him and Tim’s face twisted in faux disgust. “You better say it back.”

“I... heart you too,” Tim said quickly before closing the door.

Dick watched Tim pull out of the garage first then Jason followed after, taking the rest of Dick’s happiness with them. At this point, he was never letting Damian or Cassandra out of his sight if he had anything to say about it.

_The decision was final… they were going to be homeschooled._

_Forever._

~*~

**Saturday, January 16th**

_“My flight has a 48-hour delay because of the blizzard.”_ Bruce sighed. _“I won’t be home until Monday.”_

_“...”_

_“Dick?”_

“...I need you here now,” Dick complained. “I’m restless.”

_“I am too.”_

“I go back to the hospital again on Monday. I wanted to spend at least one day at home with you… I even scent-marked our bed, just for you.” Dick heard Bruce clear his throat as his tone dropped down to a whisper.

_“Don’t tempt me like this, Dick. I’m still in public.”_

_“You're also on speaker,”_ Kathy said and Dick could practically hear her humorous smile.

Dick stifled a laugh. “So easy.”

 _“Enough,”_ Bruce said then there was a muffled confrontation between him and Kathy before the alpha was back on the call. _“How is everyone doing?”_

“Everyone's fine. Alfred took Cassandra grocery shopping and Jason’s in the library binge reading some book.” Dick didn’t mention that Jason was also a bit mopey and had been ever since he dropped Tim off at Princeton.

_“Has Jean been by?”_

“Yes, he came to check on me just a few hours ago.”

_“That’s good then.”_

“Well, I’ll let you get back to what you were doing.”

_“I’ll call you tonight.”_

Dick set down his phone on the countertop and stared at the fridge ahead. He found that it was better to end conversations quickly in order to avoid saying something selfish: like telling Bruce it was his fault Dick was feeling down. 

In truth, Dick had been just as mopey as Jason has. It’s just, without Tim and Bruce here, the Manor felt deserted. Of course, there was Alfred and Cassandra but it still wasn’t the same, not without the whole family.

Dick let out a breath and made an effort to refresh his thoughts and focus on calling Tim next. Though they agreed on talking every other day, Tim had broken his own rule and called Dick multiple times throughout the day. Their conversations were mainly senseless, but Dick took it as it was. He’d rather sit on the phone with Tim and talk about nothing then think about Bruce all day.

Right at the moment his finger hovered over the call button, he could feel all of the muscles below his belly button tighten and pull together into a painful ache. At first, Dick mistook it for his pup kicking him again but then the strange pain ended up moving lower and lower in dull waves.

With a worried brow, Dick curled a hand over his belly and stood completely still, waiting for the sensations to pass. He’d been having these uncomfortable pains for a few days now and they usually went away very quickly but this one was… Dick groaned when the ache came back and with it followed a scent; his pup’s scent. And it slowly started seeping its way through Dick’s clothes and around his entire being.

 _Was the reducer wearing off already?_ It shouldn’t be. He still had another week or so left so— “Fuck!” Dick shouted, holding the lower half of his stomach and grimacing as the pain sharpened. And his pup’s smell only grew stronger and stronger, making Dick’s consciousness waver.

 _No… no, not now. This can’t happen now._ He wasn’t due for another month, right? And the Prime Enhancer… it hadn't even started working yet! Dick began panicking; heavily panicking, until the point where he was struggling to breathe altogether

Dick had to lean a trembling hand on the counter. “Jay…” He rasped around the lump in his throat, closing bit by bit. “JASON!” He screamed with everything he had before his knees gave out and he dropped down into a crouch. 

“No…” He whimpered. “Oh…” Dick’s mouth went wide as another piercing contraction caused him to cry out. In reaction to his pain, his pup's scent spiked, sending Dick fully onto his knees with a hard thud. 

The level of pain he was soon in almost stripped away his ability to cope beyond imagination. It was only when the pain eased away that Dick could breathe normally until another contraction came. The dread leading up to the next one was what freaked him out the most.

“Dick?” Jason’s voice thankfully rang through Dick’s oncoming pain. “What is-”

“Jay…” Dick looked up at the equally shocked alpha. 

“…” Jason stepped back, looking down at the wet floor. “Please tell me you just peed yourself. I swear to God if-”

“Jason… I didn’t pee myself just-” Dick groaned again, willing his shaky voice to speak. “Jay, get me to the hospital.”

“Fuck…” Jason stayed completely still and blinked blankly, for he was freaked the fuck out. “I-I… why me.”

Dick hissed, feeling the startings of another contraction before he shouted. “Stop being a useless Alpha and get me to the fucking hospital!”

.

.

.

Tim blinked when a hand swept his bangs away from his forehead. 

“Even with your hair shorter, your bangs still manage to get in the way.”

Tim watched Roy lean an elbow on his desk and place a hand to his cheek. He was soon staring at Tim with a warm smile. “I think you should grow it back out. I liked it that way.”

“Mm…” Tim tried to stare at his laptop but ultimately failed with Roy’s handsome gleam there to distract him. “I guess I’ll… think about it.”

“If I remember correctly, you started growing your hair out when I did? It was when Jay and I started dating.”

Tim looked down. “So what if it was.”

“I found it cute that you copied everything I did. It's as if you were trying to get my attention.”

“If that’s what you wanna think...” _Tim wasn’t about to tell him that the only reason he grew his hair out, was because Jason used to compliment Roy’s.,_

Roy gave a soft sigh, moving his chair a bit closer. “Listen, Tim… I—”

Tim swiftly pivoted his chair upon hearing Jason’s ringtone. He escaped Roy’s space by grabbing his phone and heading towards the door.

“I’ll be right back.” Tim forced a smile and closed the door to his dorm before sighing with relief. He answered the phone.

“Jay. Did you miss me already—”

 _“Dick’s in labor,”_ Jason said and Tim could hear Dick groaning loudly in the background as well as the screech of car tires.

“Already!?” Tim screamed and his voice seemed to echo back at him through Jason’s car Bluetooth speaker. “I knew I shouldn’t have left. Has he presented yet?”

_“No, he smells the same, but the pup’s scent is strong as hell.”_

Tim’s mind brought him to the lab and he clenched his fist. “...I’ll be there in an hour.”

_“But it takes 2 hours to get h-”_

“I’ll be there in an hour, Jay!” Tim covered his mouth when someone opened their door and told him to quiet down. He muttered a quick sorry before going back into his scarcely decorated room, ignoring Roy and grabbing his car keys from the hook.

“What happened?” Roy stood up. “Where are you going?”

“Home… I can’t explain.” Tim yanked his dorm key off the chain and handed it to the alpha. “Lock up for me, will you?”

With that, Tim bolted out the door like a mad man.

\--

“Dick, you heard that?” Jason had a steady hand on the steering wheel as he drove safely through the empty snowed filled streets. "Tim’s coming to help. You’ll be fine.”

“...”

“Dickie?”

“...”

“Dick, did you hear me?”

Jason looked over his shoulder, seeing Dick’s body limp against the back seat. He fainted but that’s not what caught him off guard.

_Dick’s scent…_

_It was gone…_

_Why couldn’t he smell Dick’s scent anymore?_

Even if the pup’s pheromones were surrounding him and reducing his own smelling capabilities, Jason was always able to smell Dick’s scent. They all were. No matter how faint it was, Dick’s scent should always be there. The only time when a person’s scent disappeared was when they were close to or have already… died...

“Fuck.” Jason ignored the red light and floored the gas, hitting his fist against the steering wheel as he tried to hold himself together. 

~*~

**1 Hour Later**

**At the Wayne Manor**

Tim made sure the blindfold was secure before blindly reaching for the tube connected to the butterfly needle. He felt along his arm, finding the spot where he’d previously marked his vein. Bringing the needle over to his arm, his hands started to shiver the closer the needle came into contact with his skin. 

_He could do this. He had too._

_This was the only way._

.

.

.

Jason sat with his head in his hands, struggling to remain conscious under the Prime alpha’s scent. He was losing his patience by the second as Dr. Dundee went to grab a few medical nose clips so he and his nurses could work around the Prime scent without fainting. 

In no time though, the two betas walk in and immediately got to work. As glad as he was for their much-needed presence, Jason continued to keep his head low. He wouldn’t dare look up to see what they were doing. He was actually afraid to see Dick’s motionless body for a second time. It didn’t look right. It wasn’t normal. It was like he wasn’t even alive...

A vibration from his phone incited Jason to answer it with one hand— not even looking at the name when he put it on speaker.

“ _Son?”_

“B…” It was involuntary when Jason’s voice shuddered. “You on your way?”

_“Flights are delayed. It’s going to take me about 8 hours to get there.”_

“Can’t tell the pilot to speed it up?”

_“If I could, I would. What’s happening right now? What did the doctor say?”_

“Dr. D said the Prime enhancer probably escalated the pregnancy process. Or it could be that Dick’s naturally going into labor early.”

_“How is he? Is his scent still-”_

“It’s gone, B.” Jason blew out a quivering breath. “He’s still breathing, but it’s staggered and he looks… just hurry up and get here.”

Dr. Dundee’s shoes entered Jason’s line of sight, forcing him to look up. 

“He’s not waking up, but he’s still in labor.”

 _“Is everything fine with the baby?”_ Bruce asked.

Dr. Dundee nodded. “The baby looks okay but we’ll have to do an emergency c-section.” 

“Wait, but what about Dick? Is he…” Jason let his eyes briefly view the stillness of Dick’s body before forcing his sight away. “Why is his scent gone?”

Dr. Dundee sighed sadly. “I told you all what would happen if he went into labor this way. The pup’s scent is already too strong for Dick to even stay awake and by—”

A loud bang on the door cut the doctor off and they turned to see Tim waving frantically through the small window. The omega was quickly let in and the doctor was soon bombarded with a vial forced into his hand.

“Give him this!”

From afar, Jason frowned at the vial. “Tim, is that—”

“It’s Rex’s formula.” Tim pushed the doctor towards Dick’s side. “Give it to him. On his neck. Hurry!”

“I need a syringe.” Dr. Dundee told the nurses as he uncapped the vial

Tim went to the other side of the bed and looked down at his brother. That’s where fear found him. Dick was pale and unbelievably still even as Dr. Dundee tilted his head to have better access to his neck. When the needle came into view, Tim flicked his gaze aside, waiting until the doctor finished and moved away. Dick’s head was laid comfortably on the pillow and Tim reached out to touch his cheek, finding his skin unnaturally cold.

“Okay. Let's get started.” The doctor announced.

Jason stood up, “Alfred's here, I’m going to wait with him.” With eyes filled with internal torment, Jason quickly left the room.

Just as quickly, did Tim pull a cloth from his pajama pants and redid his blindfold. When the tie was secure, Tim found Dick’s hand and held on tight. He listened to Dr. D and his most trusted nurses move about the room with tools hitting the metal tray as they worked restlessly.

 _Work… C’mon…. Fucking work!_

Tim mentally screamed, wondering why Rex's formula was working as fast as he thought it would. Dick should be presenting as a Prime already. He shouldn’t be this still.

_This was all Tim’s fault._

He should’ve just used Rex’s formula as a first alternative instead... If only he could just get over this stupid fear of bloood. At the thought, a tingling sensation nudged at the juncture of Tim’s arm where a bandaid sat. He tried and failed not to remember piercing himself with the needle and blindly mixing in the contents with Rex’s formula...

Tim gulped as nausea threatened to surface but he held it together and squeezed Dick’s hand.

_Beep… Beep..._

Tim’s hearing zeroed in on the heart monitor he was too anxious to notice before. Then he listened in on the doctor giving orders to his nurses as asked for different surgical tools.

“Hold.” Tim heard Dr. Dundee utter. “Slowly… careful…”

“Dick.” Tim squeezed his hand tighter. “C’mon, wake up.” He kept repeating over and over like a mantra as his knees grew weaker and weaker. Dick still didn’t have a scent… he wasn’t changing… why is this happening?

_What if Tim couldn’t save him?_

_He would hate himself; he would hate himself forever. The guilt would never go away and knowing that he might’ve been able to prevent it makes it even worse._

_He wouldn’t be able to live with himself._

It was the sharp cries of a newborn baby that yanked Tim out of his apprehension. He gasped almost jumping up with excitement as he exclaimed, “Dick! Damian’s here.” He smiled through his sudden tears and held Dick’s hand with both hands.

“Damian’s finally here, Dick.” He sniffled, listening to cries that filled the room with relief. “Dick…” He said again, bringing up an arm to wipe his cheek before shaking Dick’s hand. 

“Dick… C’mon.”

“Get up.” Tim cried.

“Dick…”

“Di…”

_I hear you, Tim..._

But Dick couldn’t see him.

It was dark.

Not quite the hot dark of embers, but a soft, hopeful darkness. The kind of darkness that came just before the sunrise. And there was a tug on his finger that brought some semblance of life to that eternal darkness. Then there was another tug followed by a rippling image of something thin and red. He felt as though he was seeing something he shouldn't be seen, but he stared anyway. A thin, glowing, red string and it was never-ending as it extended into the depths of the pitch murkiness. 

He struggled to pull away from the yarn but his body was somehow without strength. It continued to tug him forward until it felt like he was standing upright and walking behind it. Dick curiously looked down and saw where the string was connected to his pinkie, rippling in strange waves. As thin as it was and no matter how hard it tugged him forward it never broke apart. 

Ultimately, he stopped trying to fight back and accepted it because he knew he wouldn’t be able to escape what came next. If this was the end, then so be it. Because when all was said and done, everyone suffered from the same fate of not knowing when their lives would end. That’s why fate was easier to understand if everyone just learned to follow alongside it... even if it led to death...

_Dick’s only wish at that moment was only to be able to see his family once more._

  
  


~*~

**[Sunday, January 17th]**

_Empty_

_Dick felt too empty. No longer heavy; no longer weighted. He didn't like it._

_Dick wanted to fill the void. But with what? What was he missing?_

A tiny whimper and a soft ‘Shhh’ had Dick’s eyelids snapping open. He shot up with a start, feeling suffocated by all the scents that hit his nose at once. His vision was blurry but even he could see the misty image of a person putting something down and slowly facing him.

“Pretty Bird?”

It was like a radar when Dick’s senses pinpointed on that one voice as the person began to close in on him. And even though his vision hadn’t adjusted to the bright lighting, somehow his sense of smell functioned as his current line of sight more than his eyes ever could.

_Threat_

_Alpha_

_Threat_

“I’m glad you’re awake."

Dick moved quicker than his sight could see and rammed his body into the Alpha standing over him, effectively knocking them onto the floor. 

There was a grunt and a surprised, “D-Dick?” 

A snarl ripped from Dick’s throat at the utterance of his name. He swiftly followed after, grounding his body on top of the Alpha’s and slamming it on the ground. Hair fell over his shoulders, shrouding his vision even more than before, but he continued to press the Alpha’s arms into the ground, securing him in place.

Dick was blind with rage. Even as his vision cleared away the blurriness, he continued to press all his strength into the Alpha’s shoulders. Harder and harder while the back of his mind flickered through memories and flashbacks of inhumane torture.

It was an Alpha that did all of that; it was an Alpha that had made him suffer; it was an Alpha that had made him suffer through years of agony and torment. Dick _hated_ Alphas. All of them… he wanted to kill all of them… But not without torturing them first just like they did him. They deserved it and Dick felt as if his body could hunt for years just to make sure it happened. He wanted _revenge_. 

“Dick, I’m—” The Alpha grunted again when Dick’s hands moved to his neck.

A hand grabbed Dick’s arm, attempting to pull it away but his strength held him steady. It felt good; so damn good to have an Alpha under his palm like this… just a little more pressure and— 

Another small whimper came from the far end of the room and the sound snapped Dick’s instincts elsewhere. He sniffed the air but he found he couldn’t smell who's dynamic it was. Still, the whimpers continued on until they turned into small desperate cries. Dick growled with irritation and stood up, feeling a sharp pain travel through his lower stomach but he ignored it. After haphazardly stepping on the Alpha’s chest like he was concrete beneath his feet, Dick trudged towards the sound. Traveling until he came across what looked to be a bassinet.

A baby.

Dick sneered as the baby’s shrilling cries ceaselessly stabbed at his ears. He hated the sound. He wanted silence. With that, Dick reached out, wanting to cover the pup’s mouth but a hard grip held him back.

“Dick, **_stop_**!”

At the sound of the attempted Alpha Order, Dick reacted instantly and twisted the Alpha’s arm, effortlessly throwing him to the floor.

“Stay still, Alpha.” He growled and disregarded the squeak of the room door opening as he faced the annoying crying sound.

“Dick!”

Dick froze as a familiar aroma hit his nose.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but you need to stop.”

Dick only had to scent the air once more for his instincts to recognize:

_Pack_

_Protect_

_Pack_

Dick’s mind screamed those words as footsteps approached him. And soon he was peering down at his Pack Omega.

“Do you recognize me?”

“Pack.” Was all Dick managed to say.

“That’s right, I’m your pack.” Tim lifted his wrist and let Dick scent him. It was interesting to see Dick so one-track-minded like this— with his pupils dilated, speaking shortly, and animalisticly scenting Tim like he would lose sight of him. Tim breifly thought of filming this moment but he knew that wasn't a good idea and chose to save this moment for his and Bruce’s memories only. Speaking of Bruce, Tim briefly glanced over at the alpha and wondered as to why he was still laying on the ground?

“Pack,” Dick confirmed through a repeat before bringing his line of sight back to the crying baby.

“Can’t you recognize him?” Tim asked, making sure to keep his guard up. “It’s Damian. Your pup.”

Dick blinked and tilted his head. “Mine?”

“Yup. You should hold him and see.”

“Mine…” Dick murmured and did as his Pack Omega said. His movements were hesitant when they reached under the crying babe but he made sure to remain gentle as he brought the small bundle to his chest.

The pup's glossy eyes stared up at him and Dick could only stare back. He was so small and warm as he stirred in the omega’s arms. And the longer Dick held onto the tiny life, his previous annoyance turned into affection. The pup cried the sweetest tears Dick had ever seen and it was through those blue eyes of his that kept the omega hypnotized. _His; this pup was his._ At that very moment, Dick felt compelled to scent the pup and when he lifted the babe to do so, he found that there was an instant disconnect. 

_He couldn’t smell his pup’s scent. Something was blocking him._

Dick’s sharp glaring eyes landed on a black collar wrapped around his pup’s neck. His nostrils flared. 

“Why is my pup wearing a collar?” A snarl seeped through the edges of that question.

“Damian can’t control his pheromones so Dr. Dundee had it specially made,” Bruce said from his spot on the ground. 

Tim shook his head thinking: It was no wonder Dick didn’t recognize his pup at first. He couldn't smell his scent because of the collar.

“Take it off.” Dick’s tone was ice cold.

“Dick, our pup doesn’t know how to-”

Tim sighed. "Bruce just-"

“Take it off!” Dick snapped back with a growl. Tim saw Bruce go stiff before he was finally standing up from the ground and making his way over.

“Don't touch him directly.” Dick lifted the pup’s head away from the blankets and threw daggers at the Alpha’s fingers pressing against the fingerprint register and pulling the collar off.

The world melted away around Dick as a distressing scent filled the small room. _Ah, and there he was; his pup; his gift from fate._ It was a sublime feeling when Dick was finally able to smell his pup’s lovely scent once again. And as his instincts would have it, he easily accepted the pup’s anguish as his to soothe. Dick let his scent flourish outward as if he were spreading his wings and wrapping them around his pup, shielding him from those surrounding them.

Tim let down his guard and smiled as the pup's loud cries quickly diminished into tiny little whimpers by the will of Dick’s tranquilizing scent.

"He has amazing control over his scent already." Tim praised, knowing, even now, he still had trouble controlling his own. “Looks like he’s calmed down a bit now.”

"Yes, I-" Bruce began but was cut off by Dick’s growl and icy stare.

“Leave, Alpha.” The omega gritted out and protectively held his pup to his chest. 

“Or not.” Tim watched Bruce move without a second thought and automatically face the door. Tim then squinted in a furtive manner, making sure he wasn’t just seeing things when the alpha finally left the room...

_No, he wasn’t just seeing things._

Bruce had been acting weird ever since Tim came into the room. He glanced at Dick who’d taken to scenting Damian, before looking back at the door closing behind Bruce.

_Did Dick just..._

Tim scoffed into a smile. “Unbelievable.” 

\--

Bruce closed the door behind him and the weight on his shoulders finally disappeared. He stood in front of the door, making sure he wasn’t hallucinating about the prior events. 

Jason pushed himself off the wall across the hall and Dr. Dundee followed after. Jason was the first person to start asking questions. “What happened? Is he okay? Is he feral?”

“He’s feral,” Bruce confirmed. He’s never seen Dick like that before. He hardly even recognized him. 

“Is he worse than Tim was?”

“I’m not sure.” Bruce wearily concluded.

Bruce remembered how Tim kicked and thrashed about, growling and not at all conscious of himself. Unlike Tim, Dick spoke, but it was only out of the will of instinct that he was able to. And Dick seemed more… conscious than Tim was. Even still, he didn’t recognize Bruce’s scent when he first woke up. 

_Dick wanted to and tried to kill him. Did Dick not recognize Bruce as his soulmate?_

“It’s like he’s presented all over again so being territorial is normal. Especially with a new pup.” Dr. Dundee mentioned. “He should calm down once he’s marked his pup with his scent.”

“He smelled… different,” Bruce said more to himself than anything, his frown growing as he recollected the new scent. 

“Different?” Jason’s brows knitted in confusion. “I thought his scent was supposed to grow stronger, not change?”

“No, his scent was different.” Bruce was sure of it. 

“We have to remember that Tim gave him a double dosage of a Prime Enhancer.” The Doctor sighed. “Who knows what other side effects the drug might’ve caused.”

Bruce nodded as he tried to get past why he couldn’t move for what felt like hours. At first, he thought he’d lost consciousness when Dick knocked him to the ground but then he realized he was just as conscious as normal. It was just… his body wouldn’t move. Even now, when he walked out the door, he felt like he was being pulled somehow; like he was forced to leave the room.

Then Bruce’s thoughts threw images at him, those featuring the back of Dick’s neck. Bruce managed to see his nape during the scuffle of their fight. _The rejection mark was gone._ And without leaving any evidence, it disappeared as if it never existed in the first place. _How?_ An Omega’s rejection mark could only disappear once they were mated again and yet…

“B?” Jason waved a hand, seeking his attention. “What’s up with you? Are you sure everything is okay with Dick?”

“I don’t know…” Bruce spoke gruffly. His thoughts continued to swirl until he finally accepted all possibilities. “I think…”

Jason narrowed his eyes, seeing Bruce shake his head in disbelief.

“I think Dick just used an Order on me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, how the tables have turned…
> 
> Dynamics in my story are like magic at this point lol
> 
> 1k Kudos!!???💙💙 Every one of you guys is AMAZING!😭 You all deserve the best of everything! Seriously, I don’t know how this even happened but you guy's appreciation really means a lot to me.🥺   
> Guess I should tell you all that I have another BruDick (Alpha/Omega) story in the works! 


	46. Disillusionment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Chapter Contains Descriptions of Murder

“Mom, Dad, over here.” Kathy said.

Jason put his hood up, making sure to stay as inconspicuous as possible even though it was already impossible at this point. Too bad the one person, who probably hated him more than the devil, had already seen him. 

“Wearing a hood inside, Jason? I see you still haven’t learned any manners.”

Jason groaned internally. He should’ve just left and got something to eat with Alfred and Cass. It was too late for that now. Jason pushed aside the hood and peered over at Kathy’s parents. Specifically, her Mom.

“That’s better,” Gabi said as she finished hugging her daughter. “Now we can actually see your face.” 

Jason gave a social smile as he stood up and let the short woman hug him too.

“You’ve gotten taller.” She pulled away. “What a handsome boy you are. Let's just hope you’ve matured a bit as well.”

Jason plopped back in his seat and let his smile fall, not giving a rat's ass about her snide remark. So what if Jason stole her expensive corvette and took a joy ride into the next State. He was fifteen and it was a bet. And Jason being who he was, never backed down from a bet. Although, Gabi adored Tim like the Angel he pretended to be. If only she knew Tim was the mastermind that distracted them while he did it.

“Leave him alone, Gabi.” Jacob took the empty seat next to Jason. “How are you, son?”

“Hanging in there.” 

“That’s good.” He patted Jason's back, giving a pleasant smile.

“So, where’s Bruce and the baby?” Gabi asked, looking around.

“It’s like I said on the phone.” Kathy looked at the double doors at the end of the hall. “With Dick presenting as Prime, he’s gotta calm down from that feral high they usually have. Timmy has been in there with him for five hours now. We’re just waiting to be let in.”

“Where’s Bruce then?” Gabi questioned further.

“Bruce is waiting outside the door,” Jason said after finding his way of escape. “I’ll go tell him you’re here.”

Jason started down the hallway, making it to the double doors in dues time. He found Bruce waiting in the same place he had been since Dick ordered him to get out.

“B, Kat’s parents are here.”

Bruce looked over, peering behind Jason before the doors closed shut. “I’ll greet them later.”

“Yeah, well I’m not going back out there to tell them. They’ll just have to wait.” Jason leaned against the wall next to Bruce. “Heard anything from Dickie yet?”

“Tim let a nurse come in a while ago.”

“A nurse? And not you?”

Dejectedly, Bruce shook his head. “Tim said he was still acting strange.”

“What the hell does he mean by strange?”

Bruce sighed. “He said something about Dick being... half-feral.”

“What does that even mean? That’s not even a thing.”

“I’m not sure either.”

Like Bruce, Jason stared at the door, wondering as to what the hell was going on. He thought for sure that when Tim went in, everything would be alright but this wasn’t going as well as they hoped. Apparently, it didn’t even take Dick more than thirty minutes to calm Tim down when he was feral. So what the hell was taking Dick so long?

Jason tried not to let his thoughts consider the cause being as simple as the fact that Dick’s dynamic enhancement wasn’t natural. It wasn’t in the slightest. Dick was given a drug… from a lab, made by a seventeen-year-old; an extremely intelligent seventeen-year-old, but a seventeen-year-old nonetheless. And that same teenager had been oddly excited when the drug started working. Not that he shouldn’t be happy that Dick had survived, but that wasn’t it.

This ‘excitement’ was presumptuous and as high and mighty as Selina used to be when she came home after successfully getting a new business partner. She was smug and Tim was too. And Jason wasn’t sure if he particularly liked that side of him.

\--

_Eroding Dick’s soul at a relentless and unceasing rate was his growing need for freedom. Since the very moment, he discovered what true freedom felt like, his need for revenge grew stronger and stronger. And when he’d been rewarded in the most fortuitous manner with something as imperceptible as Orders? Well… let's just say Dick could see his future as clear as day now._

_He could picture himself sitting on a throne of sorts, watching Slade kneel before him in a desperate need for mercy; begging for forgiveness, for the roles were now reversed. In these circumstances, as Dick set up the stage to play out the forthcoming events,_ **_he_ **_would finally be in control. Slade would be under his control. Dick tried to stop the thoughts of what he would do with this ability from clouding his judgment. He couldn’t… in fact, he let them take over. Until the very moment, he lost himself to the shadow of malevolence._

_To have his tormentor suffer as much as he had; to order his tormenter into a quick death. Perhaps having Slade jump off the tallest building in Gotham City would suffice? No, Dick wanted a slower death. Something more torturous and agonizing._

_To render Slade completely blind by gouging out his other eye._

_Then, to have Slade cut off his fingers one by one, rendering them unusable so that he may eat the dirt from the very grounds that would soon be his grave._

_As the flashbacks came to Dick from all over, the more his anger began to boil and his revenge tactics worsened. It was as simple as it had been since he started living with Bruce: Dick Grayson wanted revenge. He was going to take fifteen years of his life back. And he was going to use his Orders to get it._

_Fuck karma and fuck fate, Dick was going to finish this himself._

“Has he latched on?”

Dick blinked, grabbing a hold of his wandering thoughts as soon as he was faced with his newborn pup. He sucked in a soft breath, feeling his mind detach from his prior thoughts as he gazed at the innocent life in his arms. What he did was normal to him. He hadn’t experienced that feeling of detachment in a while but he wasn’t surprised when it happened. Unfortunately, he couldn’t guise whether that was a good thing or not.

“Sir?”

Dick glanced up at the nurse standing next to the counter near the door. “Hm?” 

“I asked if he was latching on?”

Dick flinched at the strange itchiness as his pup continuously mouthed against his nipple. “Not really.” 

“It’s not always easy the first time around. Sometimes these things take a while to do.” The nurse smiled. “I’ll leave you with some formula just in case he doesn’t latch on tonight.” The nurse gestured towards the counter where Tim was already grabbing the bottle of milk.

“As for your C-Section, you’ll be required to not do any heavy lifting or active movement for the next 6-8 weeks. We’ll have you come back in for a check-up after that time.” 

Dick nodded, not looking away from his pup.

“I’ll leave you with some fact sheets just in case you come across something new. But in any case, you should be able to go back home in 2 days.”

Tim handed the bottle to Dick before looking over his shoulder. “Thanks for the info. I’ll take it from here.”

“You’re welcome and Dr. Dundee should be here soon.” 

Tim watched her go and heard Dick sigh once the door closed.

“He won’t latch on.” Dick begrudgingly pulled his pup away from his chest which caused a chain reaction of small whimpers and frustrated squirms. Dick softly shushed him, quickly bringing the bottle to his tiny lips.

Tim shrugged as he sat at the foot of the bed. “I guess you’ll have to stick with the bottle for now.”

“I’ll figure it out soon enough.” Dick had to constantly blink to adjust his vision as he continued to stare down at the tiny bundle snuggled in his embrace. He smiled, letting his forefinger caress Damian’s cheek, and watched as he greedily suckled the bottle nipple.

“Um, by the way,” Tim spoke up after a while. “Bruce and Jay are waiting outside.”

Dick’s smile slipped. A line creased between his brows as his instincts automatically went on the defensive. “No Alphas.”

“They just want to see you and the baby. They won’t touch you.” Tim reassured. “I’ll make sure they stay by the door just like I did with the nurse.”

Dick went quiet, choosing not to answer as he let his pup finish his meal in silence. Tim didn’t say more, already knowing that this was another failed attempt at trying to get the family in the room. Dick still only allowed Tim to be near him. Earlier and with some convincing, Dick let in the beta nurse, but he wouldn’t let her anywhere near him or the baby. If she even tried to get close, Dick would growl and release a threatening scent.

Tim knew that it was normal to be feral after having a pup but not for as long as Dick had been. And it wasn’t as if Dick was... fully feral either. He wasn’t acting out, his eyes weren’t dilated— he was conscious and aware enough to gauge the current situation and even though he was no longer speaking shortly, all of his answers sounded somewhat tempestuous. With that, Tim figured that he was somehow… half-feral? Part feral? In all honesty, Tim didn't know what to call this state his brother was in. 

The thing that struck Tim as the oddest, was the fact that Dick didn’t seem too fond of… Alphas at the moment. He’s not sure what the deal was, and it’s not like Dick was willing to tell him either. The last time Tim asked, he received a glare which managed to shut him the hell up. He wouldn’t admit that he was a bit afraid of Dick possibly using an Order on him. That’s even if he could...

Tim mentioned the ‘Omega Orders’ to Dick as soon as he was somewhat calm. Dick’s reaction was as bland as his voice had been but Tim could feel his brother’s emotions. He knew Dick was elated, impatient even. As to what he was impatient for, well… Tim knew about Dick’s need for revenge like the back of his hand. They spent a lot of time nesting together and telling secrets, so of course, he knew. Tim supported him too. No matter how frightful Dick’s thoughts were, Tim would never unwarrent him. In his mind, he believed that Dick’s revenge was justifiable.

“Keep…”

“Huh?” Tim patiently waited for Dick to continue.

“Keep them far away from me and my pup.”

Tim almost shuddered at the dire look on Dick’s face. ‘Them,’ Dick had called their family a ‘Them’. Namely, the two Alphas that stood outside of this door was the ‘Them’ he was referring to. So, it was with hesitance that Tim stood up and got ready to reward Jason and Bruce with this overly tense aura.

“I’ll let them know.”

Dick didn't look up when Tim opened the door, nor did he listen to him speak. His only focus right now was on his pup, who’d just parted those small lips into an adorable yawn and slowly closed his eyes. The family intruding on his peaceful space should’ve distracted him but Dick didn’t let it. His pup was all that mattered.

“Are you sure he’s calmed down?” Jason asked as he walked inside.

Tim nodded, closing the door quietly behind Bruce. “He’s the one that said you guys could come in.” 

Everyone quieted down after Dick shushed them. “You’ll wake him.”

Tim instantly noticed Dick’s temperament had changed from bad to worse, provided by the glower in his eyes and the heightened scent barrier he put up. As a result, the atmosphere became strained with many queries going unsaid in hopes of not angering the newly presented Prime Omega. Fortunately, Dr. D walked in and the awkwardness seemed to quell a bit after he began a discussion.

“Sorry to bother you.” Dr. Dundee shut the door. “I heard you and Bruce had a little scuffle when you first woke up. I would like to check your stitches if you would let me?”

“They’re fine.” Dick spoke shortly causing Dr. Dundee to raise a brow, but he held off on responding when the omega spoke again, “You… you had a collar made for my baby?” Dick’s stare finally lifted away from Damian and towards the doctor in an almost threatening way.

“...Well, yes.”

“Throw it away.”

“Ah, well that’s...” Dr. Dundee straightened his glasses, silently hoping Dick would stop pinning him with that cold stare of his. “The collar is simply precautionary. Without the collar, your pup’s pheromones will make going out in public even harder. Especially for those around him who aren’t Prime.”

Dick’s callous stare didn’t let up. As a consequence, Dr. Dundee was forced to continue.

“Your pup could also come into contact with a stranger's pheromones that range from distress to pure anger.” He explained. “All of those could sway his instinctual emotions in the wrong direction. And since he cannot control his instincts… that’s asking for a lot of trouble."

“No collars,” Dick warned, pointing his glares at everyone in the room. “You all know how I feel about collars. I can barely wear them myself. And to see that you all allowed my pup to wear one? How dare you. I don’t want to see that collar anywhere near my pup ever again.”

“How about we save that issue for another time?” No one dared to speak against Dick’s warning but Dr. Dundee attempted to ease the tension. “Um, how are you feeling? Instinctual wise?”

Dick gave a quick glance Bruce’s way before looking back down. “...Angry.”

“Angry?”

“I feel… irritated, anxious.” _Enraged, vengeful, and unforgiving. He wanted to destroy something but the sleeping pup in his arms kept him at bay._

“It’s like I said before, he still seems a bit feral,” Tim commented. “Not like the normal feral like before but… half?” 

Though something as half-feral didn’t exist, everyone could see that something was wrong. Dick was acting differently by his defensive temper and his cautious movements. He wasn’t hostile but he certainly wasn’t friendly or inviting either.

“I heard that your broken bond mark is gone…” Dr. Dundee noted. 

As if to confirm, Dick brought a hand to his nape, eyes widening at the feel of the smooth surface.

“And your scent is... evidently different. I was thinking we could run a few tests to see why that is. Hopefully, we can find something.” 

Dick slowly removed his hand to hold his pup closer to his chest. “My pup goes with me.”

The Doctor shook his head. “I’m sorry, but we cannot bring your pup with us.”

Dick growled lowly and Tim quickly shied over to his side. “Dick, Dr.D just wants to check and make sure everything’s okay. Why not let Bruce hold the baby while you’re gone?”

“Only Tim.”

Bruce made sure to keep a level expression.

“Only Tim can hold my pup.”

Tim briefly looked over at Bruce seeing the latter’s expression grimace before it quickly disappeared. “I’ll hold him then.” Tim tentatively bent forward, enabling the rather reluctant Dick to gently place the pup into his arms.

“It’s going to take a while.” Dr. Dundee started to unlatch the wheel locks on the hospital bed. “We'll do an MRI first and then a Cat Scan, and an X-Ray.”

Dick made sure Damian was snuggled within the blankets before finally pulling his hands away.

“I’ll keep him safe,” Tim promised with reassurance.

After opening the door, Bruce and Jason moved aside and let the Doctor push by them, freeing everyone from those tense and unfamiliar pheromones.

“How is your neck doing?” Tim asked eyeing Bruce’s ruined collar. There were also red marks around Bruce’s neck that no one dared to comment on up until now, that is.

“It’s fine.” 

“That’s good.” Tim awkwardly rocked the sleeping baby in his arms and the room was drowned in silence once again.

“Tim.”

“Yeah?” Tim perked up almost excitedly as Bruce broke the silence.

“Can you explain again what's happening to him?”

“I’d say he’s still a bit feral… sort of.”

“That’s not feral,” Jason spoke up with more malice than Tim expected. 

“Half-feral then, whatever you want to call it.”

“Dick’s very much aware of what he's doing.” Jason proceeded with a spiteful tone. “So he’s not feral. Can’t you see? That drug of yours did something else to his personality.”

“You guys are making a big deal out of nothing. This is great for Dick.” Tim countered. “To be able to use Orders? I wonder if I used the enhancer on someone else, would that happen too?”

“We’re not talking about the Orders—” Jason paused, having realized what Tim said. "Hold up, you’re already thinking about experimenting again? Do you not see what you just did to our brother?”

“I saved Dick, that’s what I did.”

“Bullshit, I heard you talking to Dr. D that one time. With that ‘I want to make a scientific breakthrough’ stuff.”

Bruce’s frown grew. “You said what?”

“Wha— well… I,” Tim stuttered. “Okay, you’re right, I _did_ say that. But it’s not like you guys didn’t already know that.” He defended himself, hoping to convince them. “I told you what I planned to do in the future when we were all at the dinner table, remember? Creating an Enhancer and a more convenient Heat Suppressant. That’s what this has always been about. What’s so bad about that?”

“You testing that drug on Dick is what’s bad about it.” Jason retorted.

Tim stopped his rocking as he was submerged in anger. “I didn’t test it on him, I saved him. I’m not some human experimentist like Rex Calabrese is.”

“Enough. The both of you.” Bruce looked just as angry but was more worried about something else at the moment. “Your pheromones will affect Damian if you keep this up. We’ll talk when we get home.”

“Fine.” Tim turned away, walking towards the seat in front of the window. "You guys think whatever you want. Just know without me, Dick wouldn’t even be here right now.”

“We’re done with this conversation, Tim. Don’t say another word.”

Tim looked aside, his thoughts roaming: _What the hell are they mad at him for? He saved Dick, didn’t he?_ _Just because Dick was acting strange didn’t mean he wasn’t safe. Without the enhancer drug, Dick wouldn't even be alive right now. Therefore they should be grateful for him._ _Right?_

.

.

.

“Everything looks as normal as you’d expect. Of course, his glands have altered to accommodate the intensity of a Prime’s pheromones but everything looks up to par. I found nothing strange.”

“There has to be something.” Bruce urged.

“The only way I can explain this is that Dick was dead for at least one minute and when he came back to life, he presented as a Prime.”

Tim looked at the images on the computer screen, trying to make some sense of the different types of x-rays and scans. “So it’s a re-birth?” He hazarded a guess, earning a glare from Jason. Naturally, he ignored it and proceeded to make his point. “You mean, he started over again or something like that?”

“This isn’t some fucking video game, Tim.” Jason snapped and Tim stared back just as angrily.

“I was just comparing—”

“Tim might be onto something here.” Dr. Dundee spoke up in agreeance, “It could be seen that way. Presenting anew, into a stronger dynamic could have possibly erased what the weaker dynamic underwent beforehand.”

Tim nodded. “Like instead of simply enhancing his dynamic, because he died, his dynamic was _fully replaced_ … in a way.”

The Doctor gave Tim a concurring nod. “Of course, these are just hypotheses.”

“I need more than just a hypothesis,” Bruce argued. “Dick didn’t even recognize my scent when he woke up. That shouldn't have happened. We’re soulmates.”

With a sigh, the Doctor and everyone else faced the ever-quiet Dick. Said omega was in his own world, back to looking at his sleeping pup. Even if he’d heard their entire conversation, he didn’t make light of it. Nevertheless, he eventually ended up glimpsing their way. “What?”

“Dick. Your soulbond with Mr. Wayne? Do you still feel it?” The Doctor asked.

Dick fidgeted with the blanket wrapped around his sleeping babe and averted his eyes. “...I don’t know… Not really.” He heard Bruce shift on the other side of the room.

“Not really? Or no?”

Dick spared Bruce a swift glance before looking aside once more. Inside, he felt conflicted with strange emotions. They were all turbulent to some extent and there had been no indication— not even when Bruce walked in— that Dick was connected to him in any sort of way. _The invisible pull between them was gone…_

“No…” Dick’s tone was flat when he revealed the truth.

Dr. Dundee was in as much shock as everyone else was in. “Well—” 

“It doesn’t make any sense.” Bruce jumped in, expressing his disbelief. “How is this even possible? Why can I still feel like we’re...” He tapered off, seeming to go speechless with doubt.

“This makes me wonder if Primes can even have a fated-pairing with someone that’s not another Prime?” Tim pondered out loud? _But, that wouldn’t make any sense._ A soulmate was a soulmate. Tim concluded that perhaps Dick was like him— being able to instinctively ignore things that are… less superior. On another note, _could Bruce even mate with Dick anymore?_ He’s never thought of that before. It’s not like they learned much about Primes in highschool, but mating? They should've at least learned something about that and yet, they don’t.

The Doctor sighed. “There is no clear answer here. There’s just something we’re not understanding about Prime dynamics overall.”

“This is good,” Dick muttered in a standoffish tone, catching everyone off guard. “It means that I’m not connected to... I’m not bound to anyone; to anything... I’m free.”

Dick could feel a hurtful emotion enter his chest, one that wasn’t his own. It was Bruce’s. Despite the fact that he should, in the end, he didn’t tell anyone he could still feel Bruce's emotions despite not being able to sense their soulbond.

“I agree. This is good for him.” Tim gave Dick a smile. “And like I told you guys earlier. He has Orders; Omega Orders if that’s what you want to call them.”

Jason narrowed his eyes. “Why the hell are you so excited?”

“I’m just thinking about the future, Jason,” Tim argued. “Just think about it. Dick can use his Orders to defeat Slade in that one on one he’s always talking ab-”

“Tim.” Dick cautioned.

“Oops." Tim brought a hand to cover his mouth, his gaze dipping to the floor. "Sorry.”

Bruce frowned. “What one on one? What is he talking about, Dick?”

“It’s nothing.” 

Jason relaxed his tone before speaking. “You weren't planning on asking us for help?” 

Seeing Jason’s fretful gaze, Dick lowered his eyes. “Slade is my problem. He always has been.” He remained adamant, full well knowing Bruce would disagree. 

“Before, on that night I came home,” Bruce began and Dick knew exactly what night he was talking about. It was the night he’d shown Bruce the box of old DVDs; one of the many nights Bruce kept Selina’s existence to himself.

“You said you wanted to do this together; you wanted our help to—”

“I want revenge, Bruce, not help.”

“We have a pup now. We should focus on that an-”

“If what Tim said about these Orders are true. Then you can’t stop me.” Dick loured and it sounded like a threat. “Not even if you wanted to.”

“B, he didn’t mean it.” Jason jumped in before Bruce could counter. “Dick isn’t himself right now—”

“I’m myself…” Dick spoke up, lifting his gaze towards Bruce. “I know what I said, and I meant it. I’m not taking it back either… It’s just something you have to accept, Bruce. The faster you do, the better the outcome.” Dick had already completely withdrawn himself from the situation when he uttered that phrase. And he wouldn’t come to realize what he’d said until after the fact.

At the moment, Bruce was in sheer disbelief. He was also confused. _What the hell happened to the Dick from two days ago? What had this drug Tim created done to him?_ It was like Bruce was talking to a brand new person. Given that, he couldn’t help but think about what Barbara said all those months ago:

_“I would also watch out for this thrive for revenge, he has… I’m not sure if he’s mentioned his hatred towards the clan leader to you but it’s... rather… unsettling…”_

Revenge and hatred could take a person’s mind to some of the darkest places. Bruce knew that very well, which is why he was thankful for Selina being there for him when he was in that dark place. That being said, this situation with Dick was different. Something about this Prime enhancement had spurred his need for revenge to the highest point and Bruce didn’t know what he was supposed to do to stop it. 

Or perhaps it was the simple fact of knowing he could now use Orders, was getting to his head. _Was that it? Dick was getting ahead of himself?_ Granted, Dick’s never talked with him about getting revenge before and Bruce never asked either. Even so, Bruce never thought it would go this far, and it probably wouldn’t have but now… with these Orders of his… it was evident that something had clicked in place for the omega.

Bruce wasn’t sure how to handle such an unconventional way of thinking when Dick, himself, loathed Alpha Orders. _It didn’t make any sense._

“Excuse me.” Without any sort of explanation, Bruce headed towards the door.

“B, where are you…” Jason tapered off when the door closed shut. 

Dick looked off to the side and couldn’t find it in himself to call Bruce back into the room. His thoughts were too clouded with one goal in mind.

“Tim.” With a glare, Jason called for the omega’s attention. “Come with me. We need to talk.”

“I’ll be right back,” Tim told Dick as he followed Jason out of the room, stopping a little ways away from the door. The alpha only spoke when the hallway was empty.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jason started.

“Huh?”

“Getting excited to test out Dick’s ‘Orders’ like he’s some shiny new play toy? A lab rat? What the fuck is up with that?”

Tim could only shrug in puzzlement. “Dick wants to do it too. I’m just supporting him.”

“Tim, Dick’s not…” Jason lowered his voice, thinking about the right way to say this. “He’s not really... himself right now. And you encouraging him in this state is only making it worse.”

“Dick’s always wanted revenge. You all knew that.”

“Not like this. You saw him. For God's sake, Tim, he’s holding a baby in his arms while he’s talking about going off to kill Slade by himself. Everyone can see that Dick’s not mentally in the right place for that shit. _Especially_ in this half-feral state thing that’s going on.” Jason let out a harsh breath, finding Tim’s unaffected attitude extremely irritating. “And another thing, where did this ‘everyone's less than Primes’ mindset come from?”

Tim’s eyes rolled skyward as he threaded a frustrating hand through his hair. “It’s not a hard concept to understand, Jason. We’re biologically and instinctively different from you guys. Therefore we are superior. Especially Dick. He can use Orders now.”

“Saying that you’re better than us because of _instinct?_ Last time I checked, you couldn’t even control your instincts and nearly attacked me.”

Tim couldn’t help but let out an incredulous laugh. “I was feral, Jay. That was differen— Wait, I see what this is.” He offered the alpha a smug look. “If you wanted to be a Prime Alpha, Jason, you could’ve just said that. I can make that happen for you. Then maybe you’d understand what I’m talking about.”

Growing exhausted, Jason sagged against the wall. “You’re being _real_ conceited right now.”

“I’m conceited?” Tim scoffed. “You’re talking to the one person who saved Dick from dyin—”

“Here you go again. You saved Dick _single-handedly_ as if we all haven’t had a hand in helping him all this time.”

“You know what I mean, Jay.” Tim retorted. “None of you could have created that enhancer without my help.”

Jason shook his head, smiling in disbelief.

“Whatever you’re thinking, just say it.”

The stare Jason gave Tim seemed seated in hesitance, but the words slipped anyhow. “You should've never presented.”

 _Cruel and baseless,_ was Tim’s first thoughts as his heart ached with pain. “You really think that?”

Jason shrugged. “I think you would’ve been better off staying a rare defect.”

Tim gritted his teeth.

“Then maybe you’d have a bit of decency to save yourself from going this far.” A wary and almost apologetic smile hung off the corners of Jason's lips. “And you can forget what I said about supporting your research in the future. You shouldn’t be responsible for creating anything life-changing if you’re going to act like this.” 

Tim pretended as if he hadn’t just been run over by a truck, forcing himself to talk. “Maybe you’re right. If I hadn’t presented as Prime, then maybe I wouldn’t have been strapped down to a bed by two crazy psychos who stuck needles in my arms, drawing my blood for hours at a time, until either my veins busted or I fainted.” When all was said and done though, Tim was an emotional person, so not even he could stop the tears from shedding as he sneered, “Oh, and try being shocked by a damn collar every 8 fucking hours and tell me you’d be able to think any differently!?"

"I never once denied your trauma, Tim.” A bit guiltily, Jason’s voice softened. “You know I would never do that to you. But that doesn't give you the right to act like this. To be arrogant and to spur Dick on about this revenge thing."

"So what if he wants to get revenge on Slade? So what if he feels free not being Bruce’s soulmate? That’s his choice. I’m not controlling that!” Tim shouted. “How is it my fault that he got Orders when he presented? How is it my fault that I presented as a superior dynamic!?”

Jason let the back of his head hit the wall as he ceded with a huff. “You’re missing the point, Tim. You really need to listen to what I’m saying or else I'm gonna really think you’ve lost your mind.”

“Tim. Jason.” Dick’s voice cut through the tension as he stood at the door of his room. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing…” Jason spared Tim a glance before pushing away from the wall. “Get some rest, Dickie. I’ll come by tomorrow morning.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? I heard yelling.” Dick gave them a look of concern and pushed open the door a bit more.

“I’m fine.” Jason shoved a hand in his pocket, reaching for his phone. “I’m going after B. I’ll see you guys later."

Tim watched him go and took in a deep breath, wiping away his tears. _Jay’s never been that mad at him before. All the things he said… Tim didn't even want to process it. Where was his congratulations? Sure he was smug sometimes but to have caused Jason to react like this? Tim didn’t understand…_ Dejectedly, he strolled across the hallway with a sullen expression.

“Don’t blame yourself, Tim.” Dick released a soothing scent.

“You heard, didn’t you?”

“A little bit…” Dick said in brief, bringing a comforting hand to Tim’s head. “I don’t care what _they_ say. I’m glad you enhanced my dynamic. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He pulled Tim into a hug, his monotone voice floating into that of a strange eeriness. “With this, Slade will be gone sooner than later... and I can’t wait to get him back.”

Tim’s fingers tightened around the back of Dick’s shirt as he tried to will Jason’s voice away from his mind. It was because, no matter how mad Tim was at Jason right now; no matter how much Tim wanted to believe in Dick, his heart was suffocating in guilt. _And he didn’t understand why._

It wasn’t until a week later, during Tim’s restless search for more information about Primes, that he finally let that repressed guilt take over his mind. 

For everyone to think that Tim didn’t blame himself for this was an understatement. He literally needed to blame himself for this. _What if Dick was like this because his enhancement wasn’t natural?_ His enhancement was technically artificial, considering Tim made the concoction in a lab. Still, _could he have messed up somewhere?_

_No, that wasn’t it._

Prime biology was still a mystery to all of them. How could Tim have seen this coming if he and the rest of the world didn’t know anything about Prime Dynamics? But maybe that was just it. Maybe Tim’s misstep was not knowing anything at all and blindly changing Dick into what he thought was the best course of action. 

_What the hell had he done?_

And he had the gall to brag about it? No matter how angry he was at Jason he couldn’t help but think he was... right. _Tim had been a conceited piece of shit._ And this situation was even worse for Dick. The other omega was already mentally struggling with other things and with the Prime enhancement piled on top of it all…

Dick’s revenge ran deeper than any of them could imagine. Who knew that the very thing he hated the most, he’d planned on using that exact thing to get back at Slade in the very same way.

Thankfully, Tim’s worry vanished when the half-feral state Dick was in, seemed to have completely disappeared after two weeks of being back at home. Since then, Dick hadn’t brought up anything about what happened at the hospital. Tim kept track of Dick’s mood ever since. Nothing was out of the ordinary but Tim hadn’t gone back to school because he was afraid something would happen while he was gone. 

He hadn’t brought up anything about his revenge either. Though, everyone knew he was still thinking about it. It wasn’t casual when he asked for a few weapons to be made. Particularly a set of dual swords and a few close combat daggers. If Dick hadn’t been healing from his C-section then, everyone knew for a fact he’d be training day in and day out.

The only thing that was different about Dick, was getting him to focus on anything other than Damian. These days, it was harder than it needed to be. Nevertheless, it was normal for an omega with a newborn to act that way. Thank God, it was.

Then there was the matter of finding out the many hidden mysteries about Prime dynamics.

For Tim, finding information about Prime dynamics wasn’t an easy task. A regular web search only gave base information pertaining to scent glands, breeding, heats, ruts, and Alpha orders— all of which he learned in a high school history class. But even when they were learning about the Prime Alpha/Omega Kings and Queens of the past, they never dug any deeper into their dynamic prowess.

A lot of the files Tim found had security measures built-in; and so, he had to hack his way through most of them for access. It wasn’t one of his easier hacking jobs, mostly because all the files were government protected. The last thing Tim wanted to do was get caught; therefore, his every move had to be calculated cautiously. Unfortunately with school and his emotional stress building up until he made it to the point of breaking down at random times of the day, he didn’t finish until 2 and a half months later on April 13th.

Tim sat back in his chair with a small huff, watching the file slowly download onto his hard-drive. It would take some hours before it was done, so he had a lot of time to finish up some of his school work. Tim pushed away from the desk and dared to look over his shoulder at the mess that was bound to confront him if he did. Good thing Alfred wasn't there to scold him. _But seriously, he needed to clean his dorm._ Tripping over stuff in the middle of the night wasn't something he should be used to. As procrastination would have it though, Tim, instead, chose to check the messages he’d yet to answer. 

[Kon]-- _Don't forget about tonight!!_

[Tam]-- _Wanna hang?_

[Roy]-- _Have you eaten yet?_

[‘1i’]-- _How does this one look? I need a confidence boost. Not sure if I'll post._

Seeing Dick's name in the message mix full of alphas, Tim decided to contact him first, to let him know about his success. Too bad Jason beat him to the punch.

Tim moved to his bed and hesitantly answered the call. “...Jay?” He awkwardly answered the phone and it was with great shame that he pulled out a t-shirt from underneath his pillow, holding it to his face. Undoubtedly, it was shirt he’d stolen from Jason’s room before he went back to Princeton the second time. 

_“Hey."_

“Hey…” They hadn’t talked much, not since their fight. Tim’s heart warmed at hearing the alpha’s voice in hopes that they could make up. “Jason, um—” 

_“I’ve got bad news.”_

Tim instantly thought of the worst news possible. “...Is it Dick?”

_“No, it’s about the extra Prime Enhancer you left in your lab.”_

Tim reluctantly brought the shirt to his lap as his brows knitted in a frown, hearing Jason let out a harsh breath.

_“...Holly stole it.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Dick did in fact say the words Slade and Rose have previously said. 😬
> 
> Skipped time because I'm being lazy and didn't want to prolong Dick going through recovery for his C-section. 😅
> 
> Don't think I've ever shared my  
> [Tumblr](https://tonicon1231.tumblr.com/)


	47. Man Playing God

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance. 
> 
> A montage of angst and chaos ahead 😭😭

  
  


**[Monday, February 1st]**

Dick felt along the back of his neck, still expecting to feel the grooves of his broken mating mark, but he knew they were long gone. With it now missing, Dick didn’t waste any more time asking Alfred to cut his hair. It was shorter than when he first met Bruce, but he kept his bangs a little longer, swooping them to one side where his eye patch was.

He looked in the mirror more confidently than he had in a while. It’s because he was feeling a bit like himself again while also feeling a bit different. All of his senses were heightened, especially his sense of smell. Like Tim explained, he felt in control of his instincts, and with that came his lack of temptation towards his… soulmate. It was as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. This was more than he could’ve ever asked for when it came to presenting as Prime, and he couldn’t be more thankful for his genius of a brother for making it happen.

What’s more, is that he could now influence his pup’s scent. Unlike before when he was just a regular omega, his scent didn’t have any sway over a Prime. Now, everything was right; everything was the way it was supposed to be. He had control over more than he ever wished for.

Feeling a surge of confidence, Dick smiled at himself in the bathroom mirror. “Tim, you’re officially my favorite person again.” He exclaimed into the next room.

“When will you stop flip-flopping?”

“When you officially allow me to test out my Orders on you.” 

“Of course, of course.” Tim lightly retorted.

Dick could feel his pup's distress before he started crying and walked out of the bathroom just before the tiny babe let out a wail. “Alright, Damian, I’m coming.” He leaned over the crib. 

“That’s a new record this time,” Tim said from his spot on the rocking chair. “At least he actually let you use the toilet before he started crying again.” 

With Damian now in his arms, Dick snickered and shooed Tim away from the chair before taking his place. “I agree. I can barely take a shower without him screaming his lungs out.” Dick slowly pushed up his shirt and began nursing his babe. It’s taken some time for him to get the hang of it, but thankfully not as long as he thought it would. It came easier to him once he was in the comfort of his home. Damian also seemed to mellow out once they were in the nesting/nursery room and he was surrounded by Dick’s scent. The latching on part was still uncomfortable but Dick figured he’d get used to it in time. Granted, it was easy to ignore once Damian started drinking. A serene feeling washed over him, one he'd only ever experience in the moment of feeding his precious pup.

“That sucks to not be able to move about without him around.”

“The Doc said he’s highly dependent on my pheromones so he gets anxious when I’m away. Of course, Alfred just says to leave him alone and he’ll stop crying on his own, but... I can’t find it in myself to do that.” Dick gently ran a hand through the short dark hairs cascading Damian’s head. 

“You spoil him too much already.” Tim plopped down on the desk chair.

“Maybe… but it’s hard for me to let him go anyhow, so it works out for the both of us.”

“You got onto Bruce about spoiling Jason and me, and yet, you spoil Cassandra and Damian.”

“How can I not? Besides, it’s not spoiling if he needs me." Tim watched Dick bend forward and kissed the pup's rosy cheek. "I can’t let him go.”

The brief silence that followed after brought Tim’s attention to the soft footfalls just outside the door. He caught sight of Bruce’s side profile walking by the room. “Still haven't let Bruce hold him yet?” Tim asked once he was sure Bruce was out of earshot. He brought his attention back to the omega who was smitten with his pup. At the sound of Bruce’s name though, did that smitten expression falter.

“Not… yet.”

“Still not talking to Bruce?”

“We talk, it's just… he’s been iffy around me.” 

Tim thought, _Bruce may have been iffy but that was only because he was angry at Dick for what he said about being free from their soulbond._ Tim laid his cheek flat on his desk, mumbling. “So the omegas of the house are at odds with the alphas. Never thought I’d see the day.”

Arguing with Jason was something that happened often but those arguments were measly quarrels; brotherly disputes. They were never serious enough to involve the likes of Alfred’s wrath. This time it was… intense. Jason only ever got this angry when something was extremely serious. Something as serious as Tim treating Dick like a “lab rat” was one of those things. Now Jason acted like Tim wasn’t of any importance to him. That’s the _one_ thing Tim didn’t want. Unfortunately, he would have to go back to school without any closure between them.

“I hate this more than anything.” Tim pouted lightly, expecting Dick to coincide. In the end, Dick said nothing which wasn’t surprising. Tim knew the other omega felt guilty and that’s why he averted his eyes and kept quiet. It’s what he always did when he knew he was in the wrong. The hardest part was getting him to admit his faults _out loud._

“When do you go back to school?” Dick asked in place of his guilty silence.

“I’m leaving tomorrow morning.” Tim pulled his cheek away from the desk, garnering Dick with a serious look. “Are you sure you’ll be fine without me?”

“I’ll be fine. I have Alfie with me.”

“I guess that’s better than nothing but I’m still worried about leaving with you acting all... unusual.”

“Tim.” Dick laughed. “I’m good today. My senses aren’t all over the place anymore. Like you said, Primes function differently than regular dynamics. Me, staying half-feral for that long was just a fluke, right?”

Tim sighed. “That’s what I said but I’m not so sure.”

“I can assure you, I’m all good now.” Dick looked down at his pup with a beaming smile. “I'm happier than ever.”

“That’s good, but I want you to continue doing the ‘daily mood report’ thing even while I’m gone.”

“I can do that.” Dick continued feeding Damian and making random conversation with Tim. He was a little gladdened when Damian was finished feeding, as anticipation got the best of him with what was about to come next. After burping his pup and placing him in his crib, Dick peered down at Tim and dusted off his hands. “Now, for my Orders.”

Tim copied Dick’s stance, standing up as straight as he could, giving a nod. “Go ahead. Just don’t make me do something stupid.”

Dick laughed. “I won’t.”

“Do you even know how to use them?”

Dick, with a strained smile, nodded almost hesitantly, letting his thoughts run away to the past as he opened his mouth to say his first conscious Order.

_“The use of an Alpha Order lies within your mind. There is no skill or trick when using one, only your intent matters. What you propose to happen, will happen, and that is the will of an Alpha born with such prowess.”_

Dick remembered what Slade had said to Joey when he first presented. At the time, Dick was ashamed at being curious and jealous all the same. He always wondered _how_ _could something, such as Alpha Orders, be so easy to use?_

But now he knew it for himself… it was _that_ easy… so damn easy to say the words- in what some would perceive as an Alpha voice- and have someone move at his own accord. Dick felt secure in that moment. The spark of enlightenment he had after ordering Tim to give him something as simple as a hug, was astonishing. It wasn’t as though Tim couldn’t give him one if he’d simply asked but there was just something about… forcing Tim to move without his sanction, that had Dick feeling above and beyond... superhuman … god-like. It was with those notions that permitted Dick's mentality to shift into something unbecoming of himself.

Dick smiled once Tim was in his arms, looking past the crib and out the second-story window. He let out a soft breath, feeling all the more weightless and unconfined. _Free…_ that’s what it was… freedom; freedom from all worry and fear, for what he once couldn't control, now he could.

 **“Release,”** Dick said, hearing Slade’s voice whisper the same words in the back of his mind before they vanished.

Tim looked up at him, his shoulders drooping in liberation. “Well, that was… fun?” He queried in wonder, fascinated that an Omega could have an ability like this.

“Don’t give this drug to anyone else.”

Dick’s unexpected words drove Tim’s thoughts away, bringing his speculative attention towards him. “Dick, that’s…”

“No one else deserves it…” Dick declared and Tim could feel an emotion of greed scurry across his brain. “No one else deserves this. Especially not an Alpha.” Suddenly, Dick’s hands were on Tim’s shoulders, working up a pressure that almost made Tim flinch. “Promise me you won’t give this to anyone else.”

Tim sighed internally at those words, knowing exactly where this was leading to. “Dick, we don’t know enough about Primes to say that what happened to you will happen to anyone else.”

“I don’t care.”

“Dick,” Tim sighed aloud this time. “I think you should get some rest. I need to go get packed anyway, so...”

**“Promise me.”**

Tim went stiff with surprise, his eyes widening as his mouth moved on its own. “I promise.”

Dick exhaled with an incredulous laugh before pulling Tim into another hug and ignoring his emotions of dismay. Tim, still in shock, stayed motionless with his head laid on Dick’s shoulder and stared at the door. There, he saw Jason leaning against the doorframe, giving Tim a cold ‘I told you so’ look before walking away. 

~*~

**[Friday, February 26th]**

Dick had no quarrels with using his Orders however he wished. He hadn't used them much, not since Tim left but if something called for it then he wouldn't hesitate. Of course, he drew a line with Alfred and his pups. Even if he wanted to use them on his pups, he wasn’t sure if he could. They were Prime Alpha’s after all. Though at times, he did feel the need to test it out, he would never let that urge take over. They were innocent children and Dick would never subject them to that. He promised himself he wouldn’t.

Alternatively, he would give his pups a good life and use these Orders to keep them safe from any harm. With that in mind, Dick hugged Damian to his chest as he made his way down the hallway toward the living room. 

“Welcome back, Master Bruce.” Dick heard Alfred say in the room ahead. He rounded the corner, just when Bruce gave a curt nod, moving towards his study without so much as a glance the omega’s way.

Dick watched him go with conflicted thoughts. Before, it was always Dick that was mad at Bruce but now things were opposite. It put Dick in an uncomfortable position, considering he had no plans on ever stopping his strive for revenge.

_Bruce was supposed to support him..._

_They were supposed to be starting over…_

_Why was Bruce making it so difficult to do so?_

Dick huffed as he begrudgingly trailed Bruce’s path. He _would_ leave his pup with Alfred but considering Damian’s separation anxiety, he decided to bring him along. 

“Bruce.” Dick cracked open the door to the alpha’s study seeing him looking out the window. “...Can I come in?”

There was a slow, almost reluctant, posture when Bruce pulled his sights away from the window and towards Dick. “You don’t have to ask.”

Dick bashfully grinned. “Right… I just didn’t know if I was bothering you.”

“You’re not.” Though Bruce said that, he ended up sitting down at his desk and opening up his laptop, making no move to shift his focus elsewhere. 

A bit awkwardly, Dick sat on one of the loveseats, adjusting Damian so his head was now laying on the crook of the omega’s arm. A soft coo from the babe quickly gained Bruce’s attention and he watched with longing as Dick realigned the pacifier in his mouth. 

“You were out for quite a while, today.” Dick glanced up in time to see Bruce’s wistful expression just before it constrained.

“I was with Harvey.” 

“Drinking?”

“Golf.” He answered with a voice that matched his hardened stare.

“Ah… I didn’t know you did that.”

“Every once in a while.”

“Sounds cool. You’ll have to teach me.”

“Sure.” Bruce gave a thin smile and Dick thought it was his way of agreeing but in a forced and tiresome manner— as if he wanted the conversation to end.

“Listen, Bruce. I wanna talk.” Saying that seemed to get Bruce’s attention, enough to make him finally look into Dick’s eyes. Such an intense stare, though, made Dick avert his eyes, knowing he wasn’t about to bring up what Bruce actually wanted to talk about. 

“I want…” Dick started off with hesitance. “I want you to understand where I’m coming from, with my… revenge.”

As expected, Bruce went right back to looking at his laptop and Dick tried to explain himself once more.

“I just want you to understand, then maybe you’d change your mind.”

“You can’t blame me for disagreeing. It’s one thing having us help you, but to go off alone?”

Dick took a deep breath and made sure to control his pheromones, as to not rattle the pup in his arms. “Bruce, I _have_ to do this. For me. To use all that Slade’s given me— the pain, the torture, the Orders, _everything..._ To use all of that against him would be like a long time accomplishment to me. To show him that this is what he made me into; that he brought me to this point. I want to get him back in the worst ways possible. And the only way for me to do that is to go against him by myself.”

“I don’t agree with this.” Bruce declared, having already had his answer since the beginning. “If something happens to you-”

“Nothing will happen to me. I have Orders now.” Dick couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t you know what that means for me?”

Bruce shook his head in exasperation.

“It’s like fate is finally on my side for once,” Dick revealed, staring at Bruce with hope. “I have what I want now and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to use it against him.”

“Dick… I see what this means to you but, I can't agree.”

“I know you don’t agree.” Dick sighed dejectedly. “All I ask is that you don’t try to stop me when the time comes.”

“Dick-”

 _“Please,_ Bruce." He begged. "If you could just do this _one thing_ for me— this _one thing,_ that’s _all_ I ask.” After Dick was healed from his c-section, he planned on training again. He’d get used to fighting with impaired vision, learn some new moves from the clan members, in order to defeat Slade. And then _finally,_ he’d be able to live a normal life.

“You _have_ to believe in me, Bruce.” Dick urged, his goading pheromones heightening just a tad. “All I want from you is your support.”

Bruce didn’t agree and made no motion to do so. Instead, he kept a watchful eye over his pup as Dick’s pheromones rose.

“Bruce.” Dick urged again.

“...No… I won’t let you do this to yourself.” Bruce never quite met Dick’s gaze after he responded. As a consequence, he missed the way the omega’s expression shifted into that of contempt.

“You won’t support me... you won’t listen to me, you don’t even try and understand where I’m coming from on this. When I—”

“I understand plenty.” Bruce countered. “I understand that we have a child now and—”

“That's it?” Dick scoffed. “If that's the problem then I promise I won’t talk about any of this stuff with my pups in the room.” 

Bruce made it his point to blatantly stare at their pup in Dick’s arms, not commenting on the irony of it all. “That’s not the point, Dick.”

“Then what is the point!?”

Bruce flinched, eyes finding his mate's expression doused in fury.

“What more do you want from me, Bruce!?”

Damian stirred, whimpering softly, alerting Bruce. “Dick, you need to calm down.”

“Explain it to me then? What more do you want?”

“These Orders of yours,” Bruce finally admitted. “And because you’re so stuck on revenge, you’ve gone out of your way to make sure they work in every way that you can. I don’t understand how you could do something like that when you _hated_ Slade using—” 

“You know I would never use them in that way!” Dick shouted back. “Why does it bother you so much? Are you so angry that you don’t get to control me anymore!?”

“I… I feel like I’m losing you.”

“You’re not losing anything. I’m still here. I’m still me. Can’t you see that?” Even as he said that his pheromones were teetering on the brink of distress and rage. All the more so when Bruce refused to agree. That’s when spite surged in Dick’s heart. “You’re either with me or you’re not.”

“Is that how low you think of me now? As an option?” To Bruce, it was obvious that Dick had found a path for himself. One that he didn’t want to follow. So, maybe that _was_ how low Dick thought of him— seeing as he very well didn’t apologize about being free from them being soulmates. 

“I won’t allow you to stop me, Bruce…”

A small cry stopped Bruce from saying anymore and he regretted letting it go this far. “Let’s talk about this later. Keep your promise to not talk about this around our pup.”

“You can’t…” Dick’s voice shivered as he ignored the wails from below.

“Dick, that’s enough.” Bruce moved to stand up, seeing that his mate was in a distraught headspace. It was very similar to the times he’d broken down from being overly anxious and irrational thoughts surfaced. It was best to get Damian out of the room while he still could.

“You won’t…” Tears slipped from Dick’s eyes, watching Bruce move towards him in a hurried manner. His mind whirled with a plethora of emotions that of which, caused him to do the inevitable. “ **You won’t stop me from getting revenge.** ”

Bruce forced himself to not furiously react to Dick handing him an Order as though he was nothing but an object and focused on the crying baby. “Dick, hand my son to me. You shouldn’t be anywhere near him in this state.”

Probably having smelled all the rampant pheromones coming from both Prime Omega and Alpha, Alfred came into the room. “Master Dick.” His tone was scolding with a subtle hint of anger as he watched the exchange. 

And Dick, feeling confused with emotions of guilt, anger, and sorrow, couldn’t take the feeling of being cornered anymore. Without thinking twice, he let Bruce take the ailing babe before swiftly making his way out the room.

“The collar, sir,” Alfred said weakly, holding out the tiny device he so often kept in his pocket without Dick’s knowledge. Bruce took it and Alfred quickly left the room, wanting to get away from the strong distressing Prime Alpha pheromones. 

Bruce as gently as he could, snapped the device around the babe’s neck, instantly abating the pheromones that no one in the house except Dick and Tim could handle. Despite the pheromones being gone, the pup still cried loudly and it made Bruce doubt if he’d be able to calm him down. He tried anyway. 

“It’s alright…” Bruce used a soft voice and held Damian close, releasing a calming scent. “Hush now.” A soothing hand rubbed circles on the babe's small back all he was lightly rocked back and forth. Repeating the motions with as much patience as Bruce had, made it easier to just keep going. He didn’t know how long it took for Damian’s cries to ease off into tiny whimpers but he knew it’d been a while, seeing as Jason came looking for him.

“Hey, B.”

Bruce spared his son a welcoming look.

“Finally got the little guy to calm down?” Jason came in, holding a bottle of milk Alfred had given to him.

Bruce gave a tired nod and grabbed the bottle. They sat in a placid silence, long enough for Damian to fully calm down and to start drinking comfortably.

“Dick’s not himself when he uses Orders.” Jason randomly said after a while. “I think he’s a bit in over his head.”

Bruce could truly say that he stopped thinking about Dick all together with his son in his arms. It allowed him a bit of peace but now since Jason brought him up, Bruce had to be extra careful to not let that affect his pheromones.

“I don’t think there’s anything we can do,” Bruce spoke as though he’d given up.

“It’s like, one moment, he’s good— all willing to apologize and change then the next moment he’s… back to his old ways.”

“Bab’s said it would take years for him to stop suffering mentally. I just didn’t think this much stress would cause him to...”

Jason nodded. “It sucks seeing him like this... We have to do something about it.”

“I know we do…” 

Later that night, when Bruce was in the nursery, he held his pup vertically to his chest and placed a kiss on his forehead. He vowed to somehow or another, keep Dick from going to that dark place so that their son may grow up in a loving and healthy home.

~*~

“Need help with that?”

Dick looked away from the mirror, watching Jason sit in the rocking chair. “No, I’m good.” Dick returned to the struggle of putting in his Contact lens- the one he’d received from the eye doctor a week ago.

“Not that I’d be able to help anyway.” Jason chuckled.

“It’s the thought that counts,” Dick replied tonelessly when the contact was finally in. He blinked steadily, adjusting his vision to the clearness the lens provided. At last, he was able to see again. Sadly, he would still have to watch out for things like watching TV in the dark or reading small letters. Astigmatism, like Jason predicted, wasn’t going to be easy to correct. In some cases, it never did.

“Hey, Dickie?”

“Hm?” Dick walked out the bathroom, peeking over at the crib. Once he was certain that Damian was asleep, he sauntered towards the raincoat laid out on his bed.

“I think it’s about time we talk… about all of this. Especially about what happened earlier today.”

“We can talk later.” Dick shrugged on the puffy raincoat. “I’m going out.”

Jason raised a brow, rising from the rocking chair. “Where are you going?”

“Out with Wally.” Dick lied, grabbing his phone. “He’s here to pick me up.”

Jason reached for the omega’s arm, gripping it loosely. “Dick, c’mon, we really need to-”

 **“Don’t touch me.”** Dick yanked his arm away.

Without delay, Jason stood aback, and stared at Dick with his eyes full of betrayal.

“I... I have to go.” Concealing his guilt, Dick hurriedly made his way out the door. Outside, waited the taxi that Dick had called to pick him up about an hour ago. He released a breath once he was in the backseat, driving away from the house.

During the ride, he withdrew the letter Ms. Worth had given him from his pocket and let his thoughts think back on their time together. He felt relief when thinking about her. She had been one of the only people that had encouraged him to get revenge. While everyone else, to his regrets, disputed the idea. All except Tim. Unfortunately, as of late, even _he_ had started to question Dick’s morals. That’s when Dick knew he was truly alone in this.

Reading the letter again, Dick thought that maybe Ms. Worth hadn’t meant for him to go this far with his revenge. She was a sweet woman who offered no malice, only kind words of support. Ergo, Dick’s doubt in her words too. Still, he thought that visiting her grave would do him some good in clearing his mind. 

It was raining now, forcing Dick to pull up his hood before he exited the cab. After thanking the driver, he walked down the familiar path, passing various tombstones and muddy trails until he spotted what he was looking for. Dick halted in place upon seeing a tall figure standing in front of both Rose’s and Ms. Worth's graves. Slowly approaching, he scented the man as an Alpha and his footsteps sounded against the ground, catching the said Alpha’s attention. A familiar face presented itself then, causing Dick to proceed with caution.

“Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“...Same here…” Dick stayed on guard as he walked forward, stopping a few feet away from, “Tiger, right?”

“Yes… Talon?”

“Richard- Dick Grayson.” He announced unwaveringly, thinking back to all the times he wasn’t allowed to say his real name.

“I’ll keep it simple for myself and just call you, Grayson.”

“That’s fine.” Dick shrugged, idly facing the tombstone.

“I guess I should leave and—”

“No, it’s cool.” Dick cut him short. “You were here first anyway… I’m actually surprised you’re still in Gotham.”

“Your mate didn’t give you the update?” Indolently, Tiger pulled his hoodie over his forehead a little more. “I’ve been in Gotham for a while now. Sort of, in limbo… just waiting.”

“Bruce offered you a spot in the clan, I know…” Dick copied the alpha’s motions with his hoodie, feeling the rain pick up. “Still doesn’t change how you watched Slade damage my eye.”

Tiger exhaled, his expression growing solemn. “Forgive me for that, but as you know, I couldn’t break character.”

“You plan on going against Slade now,” Dick said, changing the topic.

“Yeah, I do.” Tiger looked down at the graves. “I’m still angry that I wasn’t able to get Rose back to her mother.”

Dick nodded grimly. He still couldn’t get those scenes out of his head— Rose's death and her last words. 

“You okay there?” Tiger asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Your distress says otherwise.”

“Long seated hatred and no support from my family…” Dick huffed a bitter laugh. “I have a lot to be distressed about.” 

The rain muted Tiger’s reply, forcing Dick to ask for a repeat.

“I said that I would help you.”

Dick’s eyes widened, having to blink away the droplets hitting his lashes to see Tiger’s face clearly.

“Don’t be shocked.” Tiger provided a friendly smile. “I've run into my fair share of revenge seekers on the job. Actually, that’s why some of them hire me. It’s nothing out of the norm for me to assist.”

Dick’s fingers fiddled with the letter in his pocket. “Finally, someone who understands me.”

Tiger brought a comforting hand to Dick’s shoulder. “This is for Ms. Worth too.”

“Right.” Dick allowed himself to smile as he stared down at the graves. 

“Where do you want to start?”

“I need weapons,” Dick replied without missing a beat.

Tiger slowly pulled his hand away, tilting his head. “Doesn’t your mate have all the resources—” 

“No,” Dick frowned. “He won’t have anything made for me.”

“Hm.” Tiger nodded, thinking back to all the desperation there was to get Dick and Bruce back together. Now it seemed as though there was some tension between them.

“So, can you help me put in a request?” Dick looked up at the alpha expectantly.

“You have any specifics?”

“Quite a few. I’m very picky when it comes to weapons.”

“So was Slade.”

Dick sent Tiger a glare that made him back off a little.

“I know a few guys that can help you with that.” The alpha pulled out his cellphone. “Need help with anything else?”

“Training... That’s only if you have any good moves to teach me.”

“Heh.” Tiger rubbed his chin looking down at the headstrong omega. “Give me your number. I’ll contact you in a few days and we’ll meet up.”

“Sounds like a plan.”  
  


~*~  
  


**[Monday, March 15th]**

Barbara flipped through the journal she gave Dick, while he sat quietly, waiting for her to discuss. “You’re getting better at pointing out the minor details, concerning as to why you think certain things, that is. Your flashbacks have lessened too. Are they still blurry?”

Dick nodded. “I don’t understand why it’s happening.”

“Our brains are a mystery even to the greatest of scientists. Especially, when it comes to memories. Whether they are suppressed or repressed, it’s always a gamble as to what you will see and how you will see it.”

Dick let out a sigh. “I guess I’ll just have to bear with it for now. But I can’t stop thinking about them.”

“The one where you heard Bruce’s name?”

“It was a woman that said it, I’m sure.” At first, Dick thought it could’ve been just one of the hunters casually mentioning 'the playboy,' which happened on occasion. But then there was this immense pain that followed after she said it. Whoever it was, had hurt him. 

“Don’t stress,” Barbara smiled before looking back at the journal. “It’ll come to you when you least expect it.”

_That’s what Dick was afraid of._

“Ah,” Having found something else to mention, Barbara peered up from the page. “Jason is teaching you how to drive.”

“He started teaching me last week.”

“This will be great for your confidence— to feel like you have control over your life again.”

“To be honest, it’s hard. I keep thinking about the past and…” He had so much anxiety when it came to handling a vehicle without someone controlling him. It felt strange.

“And that’s fine. Just like everything else, it’ll take some time getting used to.” As customary, Barbara gave another reassuring smile before moving forward. “Compared to before, it seems you haven’t been talking to Bruce as much.” From what she could see after reading Dick’s journal, he'd been mentioning Bruce less and less since he had the baby. “Have you not apologized to him yet?”

Dick nervously tapped his fingers against his knee.“... Not yet.” 

“Why not?”

“Bruce doesn’t understand me.”

In question, Barbara tilted her head. “Understand what?”

“He doesn’t understand my need for... revenge.” Dick watched Barbara close the journal with a sigh. Thus, Dick rushed to explain further. “Bruce keeps wanting to convince me not to do anything brash but… he won’t even try and see where I’m coming from. So, no, I haven’t apologized to him.” 

“I thought we were making progress with you owning up to your mistakes? Tell me what’s happening here? ”

“I’ll apologize to him. When he…”

“When he agrees with you getting revenge?” Barbara finished for him and Dick didn’t have to nod in order for her to know his answer.

“Holding a grudge is one thing, but to blatantly hold off on apologizing because you want to be spiteful is another thing entirely. This is fairly similar to how you’ve previously handled disagreements.”

“I know that but it’s just…” Dick let out a harsh breath, having nothing to defend himself with.

“You’re not feeling conflicted about getting revenge at all?”

“No. I’m entirely sure of what I want to do.” Dick’s eyes creased in scrutiny. “No one in that house could ever truly understand what I’ve been through; what I still suffer from to this day… I _have_ to do this.”

Barbara set the journal aside, giving Dick a pressing stare. “Dick, can I be frank with you?”

“Sure.”

“I think you’ve crossed a fine line here.”

“What... line?”

“You have a baby now. And this baby is in desperate need of a healthy father.”

“But I’m going to get better.”

“Yes, one day you will but it’s like I’ve said plenty of times before, having constant thoughts of revenge could lead you astray— until you’ve gone too far. Like going as far as to tell Bruce that you feel ‘free’ from being his soulmate— disregarding something that is very important to him. And to also not take responsibility for your pup.”

“I _am_ taking responsibility for Damian.” Dick refuted. “And about Bruce, I-I only said that because I felt like he was trying to hold me back.”

“Do you think your pup is holding you back too?”

Dick immediately shook his head. “No, of course not. It’s not like that. I’m just thinking ahead, y’know? If I can get rid of Slade now then, me and my baby could be-”

“You’ve superimposed your entire reality onto your pup. Are you aware of that?”

“I…” Dick’s brows crinkled in confusion.

“Your baby doesn’t need freedom, Dick. He needs his parents and a loving home. Isn’t that what you promised Cassandra?” 

Barbara’s words made Dick avert his eyes. 

“There needs to be a line drawn here. You need to separate these two things and worry about what's most important.”

“I-I can’t separate…” Dick shook his head. “I don’t know where to draw the line.”

“It’s simple. Your pups or your revenge. What matters more?”

“My pups,” Dick said without blinking an eye.

“There’s your answer then.”

_It wasn’t as easy as Barbara made it out to be. Even though he knew his pups were the most important, revenge was a close second._

“No training.”

Dick blinked owlishly, watching Barbara bring out her clipboard. “What?”

“Once you’ve fully healed from your c-section, no training,” Barbara repeated, her expression adamant with seriousness as she jotted down a few notes. “It’s better for you to get away from the entire notion of wanting revenge while you still can.”

“But I—” 

“It will _consume_ you, Dick.” Barbara ceased writing, her tone severe. “I understand that revenge is a sort of ‘closure’ for you. And I get that it makes you feel safe and that it’ll help you move on. But, the way you’re going about it is… questionable. Particularly with the use of your Orders.”

Despairingly, Dick looked down at his lap.

“These Orders… have you been using them with everyone in the house?”

“Not on my pups or Alfred… sort of... not Jason either…”

Barbara proceeded writing down a few notes, as she went off on a tangent with the knowledge she’d accumulated over the years. “Revenge requires an excessive amount of tenacity and pent up anger. You seemed to have acquired that tenacity through these Orders of yours. And with that mindset, you’ve started to use this pent up anger as a way to take it out on your family.”

Dick shook his head in denial. “It’s not like that.”

“Then why do you use Orders on your family?”

“I don’t…” Dick continued to shake his head, his anxiety welling. “I don’t know…”

Barbara set her clipboard aside, leaning forward as she confronted the omega. “Is it that, you want to see what it’s like to finally be in control?”

“No.” Dick held his head in his hands, trying to control his breathing.

“Then maybe it’s because you want to know how Slade felt when he controlled you?”

“No!” Dick started to cry. “No, that’s not true.” He kept his head low, shivering slightly.

“Then why do you use them?”

Barbara patiently waited for Dick to answer, going to retrieve a box of tissues and set them next to the distressed omega. She didn’t make it a habit of breaking down her clients; in truth, she hadn’t meant for Dick to panic in this way. Nevertheless, if hearing this caused him to break down so easily, then perhaps she was right in asking those questions. Somehow or another, Dick knew he was wrong but maybe he just had to hear it to figure it out.

After a while, Dick seized a few tissues, wiping at his damp cheeks. Barbara sat down in her chair, soon hearing Dick admit, “I’m finally in control…” He sniffled. “I’m not at the mercy of anyone else... I never will be again.” 

“You're at the mercy of your consequences, Dick.” She retorted softly. “How you choose to use this power affects those around you."

Dick swallowed the lump in his throat, growing defensive. “I just know I was given this for a reason. I hold what no other Omega does. It’s not a coincidence that I, someone who’s suffered at the hands of Alpha Orders, have received them myself.” He peered up at the beta with questioning eyes. “Why should I have to hold back something I was given? Alpha’s don’t. They’re born with the advantage. They were born to rule. But you? Me? We have nothing. That’s why I _deserve_ this… and I’ll take advantage of it for as long as I live.”

"You may be right in a way but..." Barbara’s brows furrowed in concern. “Who do you think you sound like right now? Can you tell me?”

Dick chose not to answer.

“You have a kind heart, Dick. Someone who’s innocent, funny, a bit bashful at times, and most of all, loving. But who you sound like right now is exactly how you’ve explained Grant… or Rose… or Slade, to be.”

“...”

“You’re scared, Dick. It’s that simple. You fear for the future because it’s uncertain and for that reason, you're letting these Orders get to you because you think having them sets you up for a good future. People with immense insecurities such as yourself will use any advantage they have to make that ideal reality they’ve made up, come true. In seeing that, it’s obvious you're using these Orders as a coping mechanism… But here's the catch. Human beings are rarely capable of being in full control of themselves, so how could they control anything else? _Someone_ else? This disillusionment that you’ve been dealing with for a year now always brings you a false sense of security. This ideal life you’ve planned for yourself, you think it’s real… I’m sorry Dick, but it’s not. Even after Slade is gone, the things you’re dealing with now are not going to instantly go away.”

“He’ll be gone… that’s all that matters,” Dick said, having closed off himself from taking any advice.

Barbara sighed, moving to grab her clipboard again. “As seen in the past, emotions _this_ powerful, cause your mentality to become unstable in certain areas. You already have issues with detaching yourself from reality and that stems from your dissociation tendencies. Because of that, I think we should re-analyze your entire symptomatology and look into the possibility of you having… Borderline Personality Disorder.”

Dick clenched his fist, already knowing what that entailed. They’d discussed it almost a year ago and regrettably, Barbara had been bringing it up a lot as of late.

“Don't get me wrong, I don’t want to diagnose you with BPD but… I’m sorry, Dick. All the signs are there.”

Dick knew all the signs. Having a constant pattern of intense and unstable mentality and relationships. Having an unstable sense of self. Brief moments of brief dissociation. Irrational thoughts. Major trust issues. And lastly, impulsive thoughts and behaviors that bled into having a hard time controlling anger.

Dick wanted to cry. It was enough having mental issues at all, but having to tell everyone he was possibly Borderline? They would act differently around him and be more cautious than they already were. _Why couldn’t he just be normal?_  
  


~*~

**[Tuesday, April 13th]**

It looked as though Dick was far from being normal. Not when he let his anger take over and chose to use it at the most opportune times. Such as scouting out a traitor that helped Holly get into the lab and steal the Prime Enhancer.

A couple of hours after Jason declared the Prime Enhancer to have mysteriously disappeared, Kathy, Bruce, and Dick watched the security footage, finding out exactly who let Holly in while everyone was out of the house that morning. And for some surprising reason, the traitor was still inside Wayne Manor. 

Seethingly, Dick yanked open the downstairs storage closet and saw Bette’s unconscious body in the slew of several dusty antique items. With a huff, he grabbed the beta’s foot and started dragging her out the closet and across the marble flooring of the hallway.

“Don’t handle her like that!” Kathy pulled Dick’s arm away, watching Bette’s leg hit the ground with a thump. “You’re going too far!”

“She let Holly inside the house. I think she’s beyond the point of being handled nicely.”

“Dick, Bette is family,” Bruce stated. “There must be a reason why she did this.”

This was the only time Dick didn’t like Bruce’s ‘family man’ vibe. Not even family should be overlooked. _Traitor’s deserved nothing but the worst treatment._ Dick grimaced at his thoughts, not willing to go any deeper as to why his reasoning was as twisted as it was. Outside influences be damned. _He wasn’t like Slade._

“Mm…” Bette stirred, rubbing at the red bruise on her head. She blinked, squinting her eyes as she stared up at all of those present.

“Bette.” Kathy bent to her side and helped her sit up. “You okay?”

“I… what happened?”

“Bette.” Bruce began angrily. “You have some explaining to do.”

“A lot.” Dick co-signed, watching Bette stare at him with poorly concealed contempt.

.

.

.

They all watched the video footage of Holly searching around the lab until she retrieved the Prime Enhancer. It was after Holly had Bette show her the way in before she knocked her out and dragged her to one of the storage closets. She didn’t linger after getting what she came for, as if she already knew what to look for. It was all the more suspicious. Dick remembered how Bruce said she was at the hospital which ensued someone to guard him during his admittance. _How did she know the drug existed? How did she know the drug worked? What did she need the drug for?_

“Who is she bringing it to?” Dick questioned Bette after they finished watching. 

Bette’s first reaction was to scowl. “How the hell am I supposed to know?” 

“You’re the one that let her in!”

Bette looked down guiltily. “I-I wasn’t…”

“What the hell were you thinking, Bette?” Kathy spoke up. “You know damn well about our suspicions of her.”

“Don’t look at me like that.” Bette backed away. “I didn’t know she was going to do any of this!”

“Why the hell else would she want to come to the Manor!?” Kathy argued. 

“I… I let her in because she wanted to get some of Selina’s old weapons. For keepsake.”

Kathy rolled her eyes. “Are you an idiot?”

“You all know Selina and Holly were like mentors to me. And Holly was the only one who actually seemed to care about Selina’s _killer_ being a part of the clan! She’s the only one who actually listened to me. ”

**“Shut the hell up.”**

Bette’s mouth snapped shut and her eyes widened in panic as Dick entered her space.

It was abrupt when Dick grabbed Bette’s collar. “Piece of shit. Who the hell did she give the enhancer drug too!? You have to know!”

With her mouth zipped shut, Bette frantically shook her head, looking to Bruce for help. 

“Dick, that’s enough!” Bruce said, closing in on his mate.

Dick’s head whipped around. **“Step back, Alpha!** I don’t need you breathing over my shoulder.”

Just when Bruce moved back, the elevator doors opened and Tim quickly walked off. 

**“Tell us who Holly gave it to!”** Dick screamed again, his pheromones growing more hostile.

“I don’t know!” Bette cried out. “I really don’t know! I’m telling the truth!”

“Dick, let her go.” Tim grabbed his arm until Dick’s grip slackened and Bette fell to the ground. 

“Jason, pull up the logs.” Dick yanked his arm away from Tim, facing the alpha.

“But there’s not enough proof yet.”

“I don’t care. **Pull up the logs.”**

“Fuck.” Jason mumbled under his breath as he was made to move towards the computer.

“Dick, you’re—”

“You just wait and see, Bruce.”

“You’re mate is insane.” Bette scorned.

“I’m not the one that’s insane. You, letting a potential spy in our house is insane. All because of Selina. It should be made apparent that you can’t always trust your _family_.” He sneered the last words while walking over to Jason’s side.

Bruce rubbed his forehead, frustration seeping through the edges of his pheromones. “Dick, what is this all about?"

“Tell me Bruce, who introduced the possible Risen spy, Holly, to the clan?”

“...Selina,” Kathy answered when Bruce took too long to do so.

“And whose father does human experiments for fun?”

“...Selina's.”

“Who’s father hired DS to kill you?” Dick folded his arms, giving Bruce a look of ridicule, but Kathy ended up answering once again.

“If Holly _is_ the spy then... that means she used Selina to get close to us.” She attempted to defend.

“...Or maybe they worked together,” Jason said a bold statement that he knew would get Bruce riled up.

“What the hell are you two insinuating?” Bruce asked, frown deepening. 

Jason shrugged, staring at the computer. “I’m just keeping all options open. It’s more logical that way. Selina was-”

“Selina has nothing to do with this!” Bruce finally snapped. “You’ll keep her name out of this entire ordeal.”

“Selina knew both Rex Calabrese and Holly Robinson,” Dick snapped back. “How the hell do you expect us to not suspect Selina too with all this surrounding her-”

Bruce slammed his hand on the table beside him. “No one here will tarnish Selina’s name! Selina is not her father.”

Tim sighed, turning away from the computer and reporting the inevitable. “Flight logs read every three months or so, she would visit poor countries and within those dates and cities, people went missing. It was also when she was out of town that the spike in people experiencing pain from the Surge Suppressor... went down.”

Kathy looked down and took a deep breath, not even having to ask Tim to explain what that meant. It was obvious what he was insinuating. “This seems too good to be true.”

Tim made it his point to keep going. “I also retrieved the amount of times she cut off her earpiece on almost every one of your missions. Both her and Holly.”

Bruce turned away, not wanting to hear anymore.

“Tim, Dick, and I have been working on this for months,” Jason said.

Dick followed with, “Your Selina was a fake—” 

“Don’t you dare,” Bruce growled in defense.

“Think about it, Bruce.” Dick continued, not backing down. “If Holly is the Risen spy then that means she knows Slade! Who else would Holly be giving the drug to!? It’s Slade! If that bastard gets the drug then—”

“Then you can’t carry out your insane idea of revenge?” Bruce refuted. “Is that why you’re so angry? Blaming Selina?”

Bette shook her head, laughing. “I told you your mate was insane.”

Dick ignored her. “You don’t believe us?”

“Am I not allowed to feel _any_ doubt about learning that someone I’ve known for 30 years was apparently working against me?”

Jason sighed. “I told you we didn’t have enough evidence, Dick.”

Dick clicked his tongue in annoyance. “What more proof do we need?”

“Video,” Tim stated, bringing everyone's attention towards him stuffing things into a backpack. “We have 16 years’ worth of information from the time Selina was in the clan. We have all the locations you guys have been to as well. Very few of those locations have Security Camera Systems that use wi-fi to store their footage digitally. The rest of them use tapes to store their footage into a physical internal hard drive. That requires someone to physically search through the tapes to see what’s been stored. And there are only 5 locations we've found that use the taping system.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Dick was glad to get moving along. “We’ll go and find your video proof while you sit here and preach about family values. As if family can’t betray you. You’re delusional, Bruce.” He pushed past the alpha, heading towards the elevator. “I’ll wait for you upstairs, Tim, Jay.”

“I can’t believe you’re in on this too?” Bruce said, sparing his sons a glance, betrayal sounding in his voice. “Why would you even think this was a possibility when Selina was good to both of you?”

“She... really wasn't..." Tim warily confessed.

Bruce was incredulous. "What?" 

"I mean... I never really... liked Selina,” Tim admitted softly. “I don’t think she really liked us either.”

Bruce seemed to deflate at the surprising admittance. “What are you talking about?”

Tim bit his lip, feeling remorseful, thankful that Jason spoke up in his place. “When you left her to babysit us, we... barely saw her. She didn’t feed us, made... fun of us, and she always forgot Tim’s name… The only time she was good to us was when... _you_ were around.”

Despairingly, Bruce's gut fillied with self-reproach, he stared at his sons, not really knowing how to react. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“We’re adopted, Bruce.” Jason looked down remorsefully. “I’d already been moved around to three homes by the time I met you and... I didn’t want to be rejected again, so I didn’t complain.”

"It's the same for me..." Tim forced out. "I liked being here with you but I... I kept quiet."

“God…” Bruce felt the need to sit down somewhere.

“I'm sorry B. I know it's hard to believe; I know it hurts but... there's just something not right about this entire thing. I know Dick is off his rockers right now but you have to trust us on this. We’ll be back later tonight.”

Bruce could do nothing but stare blankly at the wall and listen as his sons exited the room.

“I’m sorry, Bruce,” Kathy said forlornly. “I should’ve told you about Selina and the kids but I was going through my own shit back then. Selina was my only confidant and I didn’t want you two to break up again so… I was selfish and I-I fucked up.” She swallowed back her tears, wanting to reveal one more thing. “And... Tim told me about her being pregnant... I don't believe she was. She never wanted a child. She…" Kathy gulped, watching her cousin clench his jaw. "She got her tubes tied... as soon as she turned 21.”

Bruce had lost all energy at this point, having none to spare for even an ounce of defense for Selina. Everything was spiraling out of control. He didn’t know who or what to believe anymore. He wished none of this had to happen in the way that it did.

“Bette, you’re out of the clan.” Bruce suddenly declared, moving towards the computer to see the logs. 

Bette’s mouth hung open. “Bruce, just hear me out—”

“You’re out.” The alpha growled. “Leave. Both of you.”  
  


~*~

**Location: Unknown**

**Date/Time: Unknown** ****

**Status: [Slade in Hiding]**

_“Following them to the hospital then to the funeral service in order to find out if the drug worked was easier than I thought it’d be. Now Bette says that Talon has become a Prime Omega himself. That means this drug is fail-proof.”_ Holly’s voice rang throughout the enclosed space Slade was sitting in.

“That little omega is a genius.” Slade held up the vial of Prime Enhancer liquid. “Once things are back to normal, I plan on keeping him to myself. With this, he’ll be under my control for the rest of his life. Him and Talon...”

_“That’s right. A Prime Omega has nothing on a Prime Alpha. You’ll be in complete control.”_

“How long does it take to work?”

_“The chart said 1 to 2 months.”_

“That’ll do.” Feeling satisfied, Slade placed the vial on the table next to him.

 _“There seems to also be a rift happening between your Talon and the playboy. That's what I heard from Bette at least.”_ Who had heard it from Kathy. Just like in the past, nothing stayed a secret when it involved Bruce.

“Talon’s mind is a death trap waiting to happen. I’m surprised Bruce Wayne has stayed with someone as erratic as him for this long.”

_“As am I. This rift is good for me though. All I need is an opening and then I can strike.”_

“Things are finally looking up for you, Holly. Make sure to do things wisely this time. We can’t risk them coming after me before I’ve enhanced.”

_“Trust me, I’ll have it done before you know it.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sooo sorry 😭😭 But I had to get the angsty chapter out before my birthday tomorrow😭😭
> 
> Hope you all had a great Holiday btw.


	48. Pre-Final Face-Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so some may have forgotten why Risen is mad and all that because it's been so long since those chapters came out, so here are the chapters if you need a quick reminder.
> 
> Chapter 11: The 1st 5 paragraphs.
> 
> Chapter 22: At the end, when Dick and Tim were talking at the pizza parlor about the events before Selina’s death.

Dick reached into one of the many storage cabinets littered throughout the garage. From behind, Jason and Tim watched as he expertly yanked the cabinet’s back paneling right out of its socket, soon showcasing a slew of shiny weaponry. 

“Uh…” Tim went to get a closer look at the setup he wasn’t aware existed. “Where the hell did you get these from?”

“I know a guy.”

“Did they set this thing up too because… what the hell?”

“No, I did.” If Bruce found out Dick had weapons made for himself then he’d probably be even angrier than he was now. Hence why he kept them here.

“I don’t think we need weapons,” Jason grumbled in aggravation, watching Dick expertly dress himself in an ensemble of small weapons, leaving the dual swords untouched.

“I know we don’t.” Dick patted down his sides, making sure nothing was visible before closing the cabinet. “I'm just preparing for the worst. You never know.”

Jason scoffed, watching Tim unlock his car. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Dick waited until they were all in the car before speaking. “You mad at me?”

“What do you think? Ordering me around to do shit.”

“Guys, don’t fight.” Tim drove out of the garage.

“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about, Tim.” Jason sent his younger brother a pointed stare, to which the omega ignored.

“Unlike you, I can’t hold this shit in anymore.” Jason ended up looking in the backseat and at the problem at hand. “You gotta knock it off with the Orders, Dickie. It’s bullshit- better yet, stop treating Bruce like crap.”

Dick gave Jason no reaction, choosing to instead look out of the window.

“Not gonna say anything?”

Dick heaved a sigh. “What do you want me to say?”

“First, you can admit that you were wrong and apologize.”

“And maybe you can try understanding me.” Dick exasperatingly countered.

“Guys,” Tim warned again as he pulled out onto one of the main streets but Jason didn't listen.

“You should’ve waited until we had more evidence before going off like that,” Jason argued. “I never wanted to reveal what Tim and I felt about Selina…” _More than anything, he hated seeing Bruce upset. At all costs, he wanted to avoid Bruce going back into that depressive headspace, the one where he ignored everyone after Selina died._

“You’re wearing us all out, Dick… I’m tired of it...” Soon, Jason faced the windshield, leaning his head against the headrest. “At the end of the day, that’s my Dad and you're-”

“Jay, stop.” Tim glared at his brother. 

“It’s fine, I’m not offended.” They heard Dick say. “It’s to be expected… you guys protect your Dad before anyone else.”

The air between them went dead, allowing Jason to submerge into a guilty conscience. In the heat of the moment, he always ended up speaking ahead of himself and saying things he would never say to _willingly_ hurt someone. 

“I-I didn’t mean what I said,” Jason murmured regretfully. “We care about you too… All I really want is for you to stop it with the Orders.”

The car ride was quiet after that. Dick silently watched the street lights as they passed by, stuck in his thoughts: Everyone was mad at him. Jason was the last person he expected to be but Dick figured he had it coming sooner or later. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he deserved to be reprimanded. That didn’t mean he wasn’t irritated about everything that’s happened though. Particularly with Bruce.

There was so much loyalty; _so much damn_ _devotion_ in Bruce’s eyes when he dismissed the entire notion of Selina having anything to do with the schemes her Father and Holly put up. But as soon as Dick wanted to do something that he was committed to, Bruce didn’t give a rat's ass. He pushed Dick away and never once tried to understand him…

In truth, Dick also pushed Bruce away. To say that he was happy about not feeling their soulbond put a deep rift between them. He boasted about it and made it his mission to not apologize for saying it. And for that, Dick was mad at himself. Perhaps if he’d just apologized to Bruce then maybe they could’ve had a deeper conversation about everything else.

At the end of the day, Dick wasn’t really that mad at Bruce for defending Selina. Bruce was right, he’d known Selina for 30 years. They grew up together, she knew his parents, and they’ve been through so much. Dick wasn’t jealous of that, not anymore. Because the fact of the matter was that Bruce had been looking for him. If Kathy’s words were anything to go by, part of Bruce's entire relationship with Selina had been completely half-hearted simply because of Dick’s existence. Even so, pushing away the idea of Selina’s participation entirely was just being plain naive. 

“That letter.” Jason started suddenly, gaining Dick’s attention. “I haven’t mentioned it to Bruce yet. Have you two?”

“No,” Tim and Dick said in an unintentional unison.

“Well, either way, Bruce’ll find out soon. Hopefully tonight we can find some leads.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Dick asked, causing Jason to send Tim a questioning look.

“You didn’t tell him?”

Tim shook his head. “You said you needed more proof.”

“What proof?” Dick sat up, poking his head between the two front seats. “What is this about?”

Jason exhaled. “Besides Selina possibly being in the middle of this mess, I was thinking about how you being kidnapped that night might connect to her as well.”

“... How?”

Jason didn’t have to explain much but the things he did explain didn’t garner as big of a reaction as he expected. Instead, Dick’s response took a more quiet and scrutinizing contemplation as he sat back in his seat. 

“But why?” Dick said after some time. “What did I ever do to her?”

“You’re Bruce’s soulmate,” Tim stated. “That’s enough merit to keep you away for as long as she could to, I guess, keep Bruce to... herself? I honestly don’t know.”

“But for what?” Dick asked, genuinely confused. “What did she need from Bruce?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Jason answered.

In frustration, Dick rubbed his forehead, looking down at his vibrating phone.

[Tiger]: Are we still on for tonight?

[Dick]: Not tonight. Change of plans. I’ll let you know when.

[Tiger]: Did he find out?

[Dick]: No. I don’t think he’d care anymore if I told him.

[Tiger]: It’s your call. Keep me posted.

[Dick]: Will do.

The ride to the first three locations remained fairly quick, considering they didn’t have the footage that they needed so they promptly moved from the next location to the next. 

The fourth location wasn’t an abandoned building like the rest of them. Tim said it used to be but now it had been made into a large bayside Amenities Center. It was three buildings made into one, connected by three bridges and surrounded by decorative terraces. What would usually be a lively spot, was now closed, for it was 5 past midnight. The vacant Center made it easy for the trio to break in. And with Tim’s promise to erase the footage of them doing so, Dick wandered off to look around. 

Inside the main building sat a large restaurant area. Uninterestedly, Dick idly explored the space, greeted with circular tables, wooden chairs, and a karaoke bar of sorts off in the corner of the room. When facing the backdoor, leading to the pier, Dick’s eyes narrowed. He didn't know how to explain it but there was an unceremonious sense of… familiarity about this area.

On his way out the door, Dick stopped in place, staring into the restaurant, trying to figure out why he felt this way. When nothing enlightened him, he looked away, heading out the back door. 

Straight ahead sat a pier, decorated with lights crossing above his head and benches lining the side of the railings. He walked along the creaky boards, all the way until he reached the edge. He inhaled the ocean air, staring out into the dark waters feeling random headache emerge. 

\--

“How bad has he been since I’ve been gone?” Tim asked as he sifted through the place where the tapes were stored.

Jason half shrugged. “He’s been, alright.”

“From what you said to him earlier, it didn’t seem like it.”

“I’m just pissed off.” Jason leaned against a wall, watching Tim do his work. “I understand he’s going through some shit but at the same time, we all are. I want to help him get revenge too but it’s hard to want to do anything for him when he treats us this way. Reason he’s lenient with you is because you’re a pushover.”

“I’m not a pushover.” Tim retorted. “I’ve also spoken to him about the Orders thing many times before.”

“Not good enough if he’s still doing it.”

Tim didn’t answer because he knew Jason was partly correct. Despite not liking it at times, Tim could never fully fault Dick for acting this way. It's because they’ve been through a great deal of traumatizing things together. They’d seen each other at their lowest of lows. Tim, especially, had seen what it was like for Dick when Slade was controlling him. 

That’s why he understood Dick’s hatred. Whether or not that justified 'how and when' he used his Orders, was essentially the last thing Tim thought about when it came to the situation. So all in all, he had been, at most, tolerant of Dick's antics.

“I’m surprised they’ve kept tapes from this far back,” Tim said just to change the subject.

“Probably couldn’t get rid of them for legal reasons. Thing is, if we do find anything showcasing illegal activities, then it’d be clear that they haven’t checked the tapes for themselves.”

“It’d be a good thing for us if they didn’t.” Unlike the other locations, this Center had footage ranging from as far back as twenty years ago. All Tim had to do was find the exact date the Clan had been near here and play the footage. The small security room they were in had a set up of screens and a tape player where Tim easily slid in the first one.

Watching the tapes was a hasty experience, especially when there was a fast-forward button to help Tim move along. The security tape from 8 years ago filmed a total of 90 days of footage. Tim idly watched the days pass by, waiting for the moment he saw something worth pausing for. Since this was an abandoned set of buildings 8 years ago, there was nothing much happening and it made him wonder why they had security cameras been set up in the first place. But considering that it was Gotham-where crime ran rampant-Tim figured having random security cameras everywhere was a plus.

It wasn’t long before Tim saw a human figure enter the shot. There, he quickly paused the video, going back a couple of seconds before they entered. He squinted, eyes searching to recognize the unexpectedly familiar silhouette.

“Found something?” Jason questioned, after hearing Tim sigh.

“I think so...” 

During Tim’s discovery, Jason briefly peered out the door, looking across the room and outside the back window. He saw Dick standing at the edge of the pier, staring out at the ocean. 

“Jay…” Tim called in a tentative tone, sounding almost spooked. “You need to come look at this.”

Jason edged his way around the desk, leaning along the back of Tim’s chair to see the footage playing on the screen.

_Having gotten permission from Slade to do as she pleased, Selina in all her black leather pushed open the door. She brought her arms above her head, stretching her lithe form as she spotted her target from afar. He was standing, stock still, in front of the boardwalk leading up to the edge of the peer. She started forward but her presence would go unnoticed even when she was directly in front of him. Ultimately, Selina snapped her fingers in front of his face until he blinked at attention._

_“Yes?” He answered._

_Selina snorted, curiously studying the other omega. “You’re like a robot- all stiff and everything. Obviously, you’re not all the way there.”_

_He blinked but didn’t respond._

_“Do you not speak unless you’re Ordered too?”_

_Saying that seemed to cause his facade to crack slightly but not enough for Selina to feel satisfied._

_“So that’s it. You’re being Ordered to do everything. Must be horrible.” Selina sighed, looking out at the ocean. “If I actually care to remember, you’re about… eighteen now-”_

_“I am?”_

_Selina glanced at Talon, finding that his entire demeanor had changed. Relief replaced the stiffness of his shoulders and the straightness of his eyebrows as they crinkled. He no longer looked like a robot. He now looked like a human in desperate need of help. “How do you know that? My age? Did my Alpha tell you?”_

_Selina stepped back a bit. “You… don’t know your own age?”_

_“I… no, I don’t.” Talon inched closer, hopelessness sticking to his distressed pheromones, letting his hands grab Selina’s shoulders. “You know my age. How do you know? Are you here to save me?”_

_Selina almost laughed at the sight standing before her. Was he serious? What else didn’t he know? A lot, probably. “You’re pathetic.” She spat out, harshly wrenching his hands away. “You’re good looking enough for Bruce’s standards but it’s too bad you’re dumb as a rock. Seriously,” Her voice darkened. “What made you think I came here to save you? Actually… I want nothing to do with you.”_

_Selina took merit in the anguish that shattered the last of Talon’s hope. It shriveled up as he lowered his chin, leaving him wide open for her first abrupt attack. She was grateful that he didn’t see it coming- easily kicking away his balance, with a brisk swipe of her left foot and knocking him against the ground. The back of his head was the first thing to make contact with the wooden planks, bringing out a helpless cry that Selina wished to hear again. Her wish was swiftly followed by a strike at his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Selina quickly noted that his body was sturdy beneath her shoe. Sadly, his will to fight back wasn’t. He stayed down, coughing loudly, allowing Selina to carry out a couple of more blows to his head until his mouth seeped with blood._

_“You,” Selina panted as she moved away. “You should be glad I even let you live for this long.” For some reason, Selina was feeling a bit dismayed. The anger and borderline jealousy she harbored for someone Bruce had been searching for all this time, was indefinite. But looking at him now, it was obvious… there was nothing special about this omega. He was a pitiful excuse for a human being; a doll for Slade to use. And no matter how hard he tried, he would never amount to anything Selina had ever done. Not for Bruce; not for anyone._

_“Please…” Dick rasped, gaining Selina’s attention- his eyes dull and possessed with emptiness. “Please… kill me…”_

_Selina stood there quietly watching as Dick’s cheeks dampened with flowing tears._

_“I c-can’t do this anymore… so please… keep going.” His expression was vulnerable but dire with something similar to surrender..._

_This boy... was abandoning his will to live and all Selina could do was stand there and watch. In truth, she was fascinated. She’d been under a few Apha Orders herself, but the results of this… were extreme._

_Good thing it wasn’t her..._

_“Please… hurry.” Dick wept, eyes shaped into slits, ready to close; ready to give up. “Kill me…”_

_Selina found that she’d been robbed of every snarky response as she thought back to how happy this boy looked that day at the circus. Bruce did too- reacting as if a new path had opened up for him, one that didn’t include Selina in his plans. She knew she was supposed to keep Bruce close so that he wouldn’t catch wind of their human experiments but still… she wasn’t willing to give Bruce to anyone else._

_“Enough with the sob story._ _Do you know how many years it took me to make it to this point?" She asked, then answered. "My whole life. Now it’s so easy to butter him up with some much-needed affection and he comes running. It’s the props of having someone lose their parents so early on." She knew that this boy didn't know what she was talking about but she felt obliged to claim her territory anyway. "You see, even though I have plans to use him, I actually quite... like him and I don't want you getting in the way of our little relationship. I hope you can understand that, Talon.” Selina kicked his head one last time for extra measure, seeing his body wilt along with his unconscious mind. “Worthless piece of junk. Let’s hope we don’t meet again.”_

_Selina heaved a breath before pulling out her ringing cell phone. “He always knows when to call at the right time…" She answered the call. "My love?”_

_“Where are you?” Bruce asked._

_“Finishing some business. Holly spotted a stray Risen member and wanted to make sure he was taken care of. But, he ran off.”_

_“You should’ve told us.”_

_“It was only one person. Me and Holly could handle it.”_

_“Are you heading back now?”_

_“Yes.” Selina spared Talon one last glance before turning away. “I’ll be there in a minute.”_

The video replayed automatically, leaving Alfred to silently stand behind a rigid Bruce. The beta felt it like a knife before it started, the rancid pheromones of a pain-ridden alpha, having been emptied of all of its trust. By that time, the keyboard flew off the table and crashed onto the floor with a loud clang, Bruce’s long-running trust became fraudulent.

How could one who gave his love openly and without reserve be made to witness all that he’s known, turn into a lie? Acid poured into his soul, fighting for the chance to revive some of his good memories but it was to no avail. They were all darkened, faded, and shattered, now substituted by the video replaying in the background. Her voice now left a sickening taste of bile in Bruce's mouth while Dick’s cries brought about a pang of guilt that made him drop to his knees. _Where had he gone wrong? How had he missed all the signs? Better yet, why didn’t he listen to all the signs?_

Ignoring the strong pheromones, Alfred quickly turned off the video and bent down next to his master, running a comforting hand down his back.

“Master Bruce-”

“She came home wet that night… like she’d taken a shower...” Bruce’s tongue sharpened at the realization; to one of the many signs, he should've noticed. “To wash off the damn smell…” Except it didn’t wash away completely; it was dampened and must’ve mixed in with Selina’s so well that Bruce didn’t even notice. _He should’ve known…_ Things were different that night when they made love. It was the best time they’d ever had and now he knew why.

Without warning, the motion detectors went off and Alfred moved away to check the security cameras.

“What is it?” Bruce’s voice rumbled darkly as he asked Alfred what he was seeing.

It was Alfred’s mistake to leave the children upstairs by themselves while he went to go see Master Bruce. It was also everyone's mistake to not set up the backup security after Holly had broken in the first time. During her time here, it was obvious she would’ve watched Bette put in the passwords to the front gate so she could easily bypass the current safety measures. 

“It’s Master Damian sir.”

~*~

After transferring the file to his USB and sending it to Bruce, Tim put away his laptop hearing Jason curse under his breath. The alpha was certain Bruce was taking it hard as of right now. He never handled things like this well. For that reason, Jason was afraid that Bruce would close himself off to the world again.

“What the hell are we gonna tell Dickie?” Finally thinking about Dick’s feelings in all of this, Jason sauntered toward the door and discovered the omega hadn’t moved from his spot.

“We don’t tell him anything.” Tim zipped up his backpack and stood. “We show him the video so he can see for himself.”

“I guess that’s the best bet,” Jason mumbled. “That’s if he doesn’t already remember.”

“What do you mean?” Tim trudged over to where Jason stood and looked out the back entrance. The image of Dick at the edge of that same pier, on his knees, head in his hands, made Tim dart across the room.

“Dick!” Tim yelled as soon as he was outside the door and hurried to his side. “Dick.” Tim soothed him with his pheromones as he kneeled next to him.

“I’m okay.” Dick took deep breaths, drawing his body near Tim’s comforting touch that was caressing his back. “I’m okay.”

“What happened?” 

“Did you see something?” Jason asked in place of Tim’s obvious unsuspecting tactic. They both knew what happened. It's just that Jason took the more direct approach when it came to questioning while Tim walked in circles. 

Unfortunately, Dick didn’t say anything. He only shook his head as if to deny what he saw and took deep breaths to calm himself.

The sound of Jason’s cell phone distracted the lot enough to warrant Dick to taking Tim’s helpful hand and standing up. Jason answered the call, inherently putting it on speaker, and listened to Kathy’s frenzied voice.

_“Jay, we have a problem. Is Dick there with you?”_

“He’s right here,” Jason said while Dick stepped closer, hearing the sound of screeching car tires from Kathy’s side of the line.

_“Dick, Holly’s taken, Damian.”_

Dick’s heart dropped.

_“We’re trailing her as we speak. I'm having Bette send Tim the location right now.”_

Without missing a beat, Dick dashed towards Tim's car.

“Wai-!” Tim frantically followed after, keeping Jason and his phone close by as he asked, “Where’s Bruce?”

_“He should be close behind us. He contacted the clan when it happened but he didn’t know her location. Luckily, Bette and I were already out when we spotted her near West Village. Everyone is on the move.”_

Tim received the location from Bette as soon as they reached the car. “We’re on our way.”

\--

Kathy ended the call, now focusing entirely on the road ahead of her. It was the dead of night; as a result, there weren’t that many people around but the few that were, made it hard for Kathy to drift every which way to keep up with Holly’s reckless driving. “Crazy bitch has always been a good driver.” 

“Steph says she’s close by,” Bette said as she struggled her way from the front seat to the back seat. She pulled back the rear-seat pass-through, that led to the trunk, and blindly reached for any weapon Kathy had stored. 

“What about Jean-Paul?”

“Jean’s not in Gotham so he might be late- How about we blow out her tires?” Bette leaned into the front seat, showing Kathy the pistol.

“We are not shooting her car! Did you forget the baby’s inside!?” Kathy shouted as she shifted gears, drifting onto the next street, practically toppling Bette over in the back seat. 

“Then what the hell do we do?” Bette huffed, fighting to sit upright as Kathy made another dangerous turn. 

“This wouldn’t have fucking happened if you hadn’t let her inside the house,” Kathy spoke quickly, expertly changing gears once more.

“I know, I get it! It's my fault.” Bette heavily blamed herself. “But I never wanted this to happen and I’m trying to help. I really am!”

Kathy sighed, making another harsh turn as she followed the white car across the bridge, leading them into Midtown. “Holly can’t drive forever. She has to stop somewhere and I think she already has a location in mind.”

“She’s working with Slade, right? She could be leading us into a trap.” Bette cautioned.

“We have to take that chance. You know Bruce is.” Protecting a pup comes before anything else so she knew Bruce would do anything- even if that meant risking death- to get to him. And when he or Dick finally saw Holly with Damian it was going to be an all-out instinctive-driven brawl. 

In a sudden flash, Holly’s white car made a sharp turn, into a rather small alleyway. Kathy’s reaction time wasn’t the greatest, her tires shrieking and vehicle coasting close to the pointed edge of a brick wall. With a loud smash, the front of her car slammed into the wall, sending her face straight into an airbag.

She coughed, groaning, cursing loudly as she pushed the airbags out of the way, scrambling to pull off her dreaded seat belt. “You alright, Bette?” She asked between coughs, her hands trembling with shock as she opened the car door. “Bette!?” She stumbled to stand up straight, trying her hardest to ignore the dizziness, calling her niece's name once more.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” Bette groaned as she too crawled out of the backseat. “I hit my head pretty hard back there.”

Kathy gave the place she held her head a once over, already seeing a knot forming. “I’ll go after her while you stay here.” 

“No, I’m fine.” Bette shook off the pain, pulling her hand away. “I’m coming with you.”

Kathy nodded, sidestepping towards the alleyway Holly went down. “Let’s go then.” Kathy started a sprint, following Holly was her instant reaction, running through the alleyways with Bette close behind. From this far, she could see the white car parked at the end of the alleyway. Thankfully it was, otherwise they would’ve lost her. 

“I hope you know doing this won’t get you on Bruce’s good side,” Kathy said.

“I figured that already.” Bette panted, pushing herself to keep up with the omega. “But I get it now. I know that was wrong.” She wanted to help, not because she wanted to be welcomed back into the clan, but because she didn’t want anything to happen to Bruce’s pup.

They continued to navigate down a linear path, hearing the sound of waves in the distance. _This was definitely a trap of some sort,_ Kathy deduced. Possibly, there could be a few footmen waiting up ahead. Or maybe Holly just wanted to bait them. Either way, it was bad. Besides that though, there was one thing Kathy could say for sure. 

_Holly’s scent was different._

It was faint, but Holly left behind a peculiar smell that was strong and similar to that of Tim’s and Dick’s. _It couldn’t be…_

Despite Kathy being wary of Holly’s scent, she was glad that it was strong enough to trace her. The hunt didn’t last as long as she thought it would. Before long, they soon came upon a clearing that led to a loading dock. On either side of them stood large steel containers left for ships to carry. The spaces in between the containers made it so cars couldn’t fit through, even so, Kathy could hear a car approaching from the other side.

“Stand down, Holly,” Kathy commanded, stopping in the middle of the clearing. Holly stood a few feet away, near the edge of the dock with a crying baby in her arms.

“Aw Bette,” Holly cocked her head, looking at the heta. “And here thought we were such good friends.”

“...” Bette glared at her with a feeling of guilt.

“Give us the pup, Holly,” Kathy said.

“You think I’d give him to you so easily?” Holly, backed up an inch, towards the edge of the dock that gave away to the depths of the ocean behind her.

Kathy cautioned forward. “Holly, don’t!”

It was sudden when a copious amount of ferocious alpha pheromones breached the air around them. Kathy instantly recognized them to be her cousin’s, but she’d never smelled them in such a tempestuous state before. Her Omega went on alert, being made to step down physically and mentally. Even if the pheromones weren't directed at her, she didn’t dare look over at her cousin entering the space and instead stared at the ground. Bette was in the same boat.

“You’re finally here.” Holly retrieved a dagger from the belt around her waist.

“She’s taken the temporary Prime Enhancer. You won’t be able to Order her to do anything.” Kathy warned Bruce, stepping back a bit further as he approached with a sharp growl. 

“My goodness, you’re angry.” Holly giggled, looking at the distraught Bruce Wayne. “It’s sad really, how you’ve been driven to this point.”

As soon as Bruce took a step forward, Holly held the dagger over Damian’s squirming body.

“Ah, ah, ah, you might not want to do that. Not with your precious pup in my arms.”

“Why are you doing this?” Kathy forcibly gained enough strength to stand next to her cousin.

Holly sighed dramatically. “You Wayne’s always found a way to slip through my group’s fingers.”

“This feud is pointless.” Kathy outright refuted and she’d been wanting to do so for a while now. She’d wanted to put an end to this meaningless quarrel ever since Risen started coming after them. “What our great grandfather did has nothing to do with us now.”

“I actually agree with you on that, Kate.” Even as Holly said that she never once took her eyes away from the irate alpha. He was glaring at her, almost feral-like, hastily glancing around for any opening to attack. Despite the massive threat, Holly continued on casually, “But, here’s the thing, you’re all rich.”

Kathy scoffed but Holly didn’t yield her speech.

“Your family is praised by the public for simply being… rich- by donating money and all that. While my family is seen as nothing but criminals. If I remember correctly, didn’t both of our great grans deal in criminally earned money? And yet... somehow…” Holly tilted her head. “Yours came out on top?”

“Risen never stopped their crimes even after our great grandfather died. You killed innocent people just so you could provoke our clan. That makes you criminals.” Kathy firmly stated.

Holly laughed coldly. “That's your definition. The way I see it is different... It's not our fault we were left in the dirt, living poor lives, struggling to make ends meet, but we lived regardless. We lived in our growing hatred for our one and only enemy… and that was you… Just you…” Holly scowled. “The grandchildren of a person who donated our hard-earned money to someone else just to gain public favor. You donated it to another money-hungry company of all things! To a family that experiments on human beings! The irony of it all!”

“I still don’t get it." Kathy said, "You're working with Slade but isn’t he the one that killed your entire group and your friend, Selina?”

"What of it?" Holly shrugged. “The only reason I worked with Selina in the first place is because her father made a deal to provide my group with weapon resources. This was so we wouldn't expose his dirty work with human experiments." 

Kathy couldn't say she wasn’t shocked to hear that Risen knew about the human experiments, but as the situation played out, leaving her with more unanswered questions, Kathy found that she no longer cared. All she worried about was getting to Damian.

“Even after that happened, my group started losing motivation.” Holly sighed and shook her head. “It was such a shame... they also believed that the war with you was useless so… I got rid of them before they defected.” Her tone was cheery as she revealed the truth. “And poor poor Selina… She was such a good friend but... she was always a bystander to me. She had her own plans with her father while I had mine. That’s why it was so _easy_ to watch her die along with the rest of my group that day.”

“We’re through talking.” Bruce’s voice rumbled darkly as he started forward but Kathy grabbed his arm when Holly threatened the baby once more.

“You don’t believe I’ll do it? Oh, I’ll do it.” Holly’s smile was sinister as she stared down at the wailing child, letting the flat side of the dagger touch his cheek. “I'll carve a hole right into his cheek.”

“Holly, stop this!” Kathy shouted.

Holly laughed, colder this time enough to freeze hell over. “Do you know what it’s like to live off scraps? Struggling to come up with any sort of money. Better yet, living with an abusive father? Or…” Suddenly, the smile dropped off of Holly’s face, leaving her eyes a bit crazed. “... Having a pedophile for an uncle?”

“I get that your life was hard..." Kathy couldn't sympathize, not in this situation. "But that has nothing to do with Bruce’s pup-”

“It has everything to do with your bloodline!” Holly screamed.

“We can work something out." Kathy proposed. "Just don’t hurt him-”

“I want you to suffer Bruce Wayne!” Holly gritted out. “Selina’s death wasn’t enough nor was trying to break you and Talon a part so… this will do. Your precious pup- dead at my hands.” 

Bruce jerked out of Kathy's hold, darting straight ahead, completely missing the sudden approach of 6 more people coming out of the shadows.

“My goodness, did I forget to mention?” Holly giggled madly watching from afar as Slade’s goons came in contact with the Dark knight clan. “I came with back up.”

She made sure to keep the crying baby close and the dagger closer, feeling an itch to just jump into the ocean behind her-killing herself along with the baby. But that could wait until later. She loved seeing the desperation and the agony in Bruce’s face. _It’s what he fucking deserves! To suffer as much as she had her whole entire life._

Holly beamed brightly at the scene playing out before her. Although it looked as though Slade’s goons were taking a massive beat down from a borderline feral Alpha, Holly still had the upper hand. She had the baby and—

Four figures approaching from behind the scuffle caught Holly’s attention. Her smile faltered but then she saw who it was: Dick, Bruce’s sons, and Stephanie all escaped the darkness and entered the moon's light.

“I was waiting for you! Talon, was it?” Holly felt like clapping from excitement at the look on Dick’s face. “Despite your constant betrayals, Slade still wants you back- his dear omega back in his arms again.” She didn’t miss the way Dick’s face glowered at the mention of Slade's name. It’s the same face that kept her confidence elevated, for she reveled in other people's suffering. 

“This time though, I don’t think he’ll hesitate to cut off your limbs just to make you stay.” By hearing that, she hoped Dick would react even worse than before; sadly, that’s not what she got. Instead, Dick schooled his features and slowly closed the space between them. He walked with a type of conviction only a person with all the power had.

“A little confident are we? She stepped back, the heel of her shoe now hanging off the edge of the dock. “If you come any closer, I’ll jump and your pup will die.” Even though she said that her warning did nothing in terms of stopping Dick’s ever-lasting stroll. Behind him, The clan was able to put down all of the goons but instead of trying to stop Dick, they just watched him. Even Bruce had gotten the courage to move forward, following closely behind his mate. _What the hell was going on? Why the hell wasn’t he stopping!? Why was he so damn calm!? Does he not see that he’s putting his pup at risk? Is he a mad man!? What the hell is-!_

**“Drop the weapon.”**

In a flash, the weapon clanged to the ground, its blade glinting off the moonlight, making a mockery of her. The dagger Holly used as a safe haven, laughed at her while reflecting back at her stricken expression. Without knowing, Holly’s hand began to tremble as she continued to stare at the weapon. _All she could do was stare at that damn dagger,_ brooding over the endless possibilities as to _how_ it fell from her hands, no- she, _herself,_ let the weapon fall to the ground.

“What…” She breathed out, steadily looking up when Dick stopped in front of her. “How… h-how are you-”

**“Give my baby to me.”**

“N-No,” Holly shook her head, her mind rejecting the motion, but her body wouldn't respond to anything other than the prevailing threat. “It’s not real, it's not real,” She chanted and continued to deny that her body was moving at the will of an Omega… _a Prime Omega!_ There was no way this was happening! Alas, as her arms moved to hand over the pup, she could no longer deprive herself of the truth, lest she go insane. _This fucking Omega was using Orders on her!_

 **“Gently,”** Dick said softly, looking down at his crying pup. 

As soon as Holly’s arms were empty, she was slammed to the ground by a seething Bruce, who she just realized was beside her. Her strength was nothing compared to Bruce’s but Holly chose to thrash around anyway, straining to get a glimpse at Dick standing above her.

“Shhh,” Dick rocked his pup, holding him to his chest before surrounding them with his pheromones, effectively blocking out everyone else's distress. “It's alright, dear one.” He crooned, remaining as calm as ever. He had to. In order to soothe his pup, he couldn’t get angry; he couldn't cry. So he stayed composed, laying Damian on his shoulder before bringing his fingers to his pup's scent glands and caressing the soft skin there. 

A strained shout from below pulled Dick out of his comforting haze, his eyes flicking down at the piece of shit who dared to even be an inch away from his shoes. 

“It’s a lie!" She hollered. "You’re an Omega! You can’t use Orders!”

“Evidently he can,” Tim spoke up. “You just had to find out the hard way.”

“No!" Holly tossed about. "No! It’s not real!”

 **“Don’t resist.”** Dick stared at her with a passive, uncaring look as her body went limp and his Alpha restrained her completely. 

With Holly’s cheek planted against the hard concrete, tears began streaking down her face, screaming frantically, “I hate you! I hate all of you! You ruined everything! I hate you!"

Dick rubbed Damian's back, indifferently moving to crush Holly's fingers to the ground, feeling the bone giveaway and break beneath his shoe. Holly screamed, crying out, “Help me! I know you're here! You’re supposed to help me!”

**“Be quiet."**

Holly unwillingly went mute, her lips closing as the clan members gathered around her. She stared up at Dick, seeing his cold, deadened eyes. So... this was the assassin Slade raised. Or perhaps, it was revenge for touching his pup. Either way, Holly had lost the will to care any longer.

“She was screaming for help… so there’s someone else here besides these guys,” Stephanie observed as she looked around, seeing no one else in sight.

Joey quickly hid behind one of the containers, breathing heavily as the sound of Holly’s monstrous screaming stopped ringing throughout his earpiece. Joey’s eyes widened. _Orders? Talon can use Orders?_

**_“What do you see?”_ **

Joey stiffened at his father’s voice. His and Holly’s lines weren’t connected so he asked Joey to relay everything that was happening. “She’s… she’s been detained by the Dark Knight Clan.”

 **_“How unfortunate,”_ ** Slade said tonelessly. **_“How is my Omega?”_ **

“He’s…” Joey’s hands clenched, narrowing his one an only good eye. “He’s the same, Father. Nothing has changed.”

**_“I see. Well, there’s no use in staying there. Come back to base.”_ **

“Yes, Father.” Joey cut off his earpiece and stood up to leave-

On the other side of the container, Dick suddenly froze, looking over at one of the containers closest to the alleyway. Precaution shown in his features as he handed Damian over to Tim.

“Dick?” Tim gently held the baby. “What is it?”

“Joey…” Dick said as he drew near the huge bin. “I caught a whiff of his scent. Joey!?”

“Think he already ran away?” Jason pondered.

“He almost did.” Tiger came out with a distraught alpha, whose arms were secured behind his back. “But he couldn’t make it past me.”

“Huh? What’re you doing here?” Tim glared at Tiger.

“Grayson sent me the location. I got here fast because this is close to where we usually…” Tiger’s words drifted off, leaving the clan with nothing but curiosity. And even though Bruce was at his wits’ end, not even he was blind to the lack of information.

“Joey…” Dick ignored everything else, focusing only on the teenage boy. He first noticed that his scent was stronger like Holly's. So he must've used the temporary Prime enhancer too, making him a Prime Alpha. Then he noticed the boy's... “Your eye. Tell me what happened to you?”

Joey couldn't help but notice the gauze over his right eye; a feeling he’d rather have forgotten altogether. “What are you waiting for?” He heard himself say by a fluke. But he didn't care. He had to know. “Use them!”

Dick's brows drooped into worry. “Joey-”

“Use them, your Orders…”

Dick stared into the eyes of the kid he watched grow up. They were pleading, wanting Dick to do the inevitable but for what? To see if Dick could use them on Prime Alpha's so that he could report back to Slade? Possibly, and yet, that gauze over his eye sent a different message. Dick took a deep breath and tried to drown his hopes just in case this didn't work... **“Tell us where Slade is.”**

“...”

_Nothing._

Nothing happened. And Dick couldn't help but be disappointed at the result.

“You won’t be able to defeat him…” Joey shook his head, his expression saddened. “Not like this…”

“Joey," Dick stepped forward. "I don't know what happened to you but I do know that I can help you. Before he turns Prime... if you can just tell us where he is.”

Joey hesitated, looking anywhere but at Dick.

"Please," Dick begged, seeing Joey's expression waver before his lips parted,

"He's-"

A red dot from an unknown sniper appeared on Joey’s chest. Joey began to panic, struggling uncontrollably. _Of course, his father would send someone to keep watch over him._

 **“Let him go!”** Tiger reacted quickly to Dick’s Order, moving aside. Joey slowly backed away before quickly running off, dropping something on the ground. While everyone ran into the alleyway for cover from the marksman, Dick went to retrieve what had fallen out of Joey's pocket. He knew he wouldn’t die because as Holly confirmed, Slade didn’t want him dead. 

“Dick!” Bruce called for him but he proceeded to bend down to pick up the pink bracelet. Feeling Bruce’s restless emotions, Dick hurried back, not expecting his alpha to pull him into a hug.

“Don’t you ever put yourself at risk like that again.”

“I'm fine, Bruce.” Dick pushed back just enough to look into his alpha’s eyes. "Slade won’t kill me.” Bruce looked down at him with a conflicted expression before drawing him into another hug.

 _How long has it been since they last hugged? Kissed even?_ Not since Dick had brought Damian home, that's for sure. And now, since everything with Selina had been revealed, he wanted nothing more than to be comforted. And to comfort Bruce in return. With thoughts like that circulating, Dick hugged his alpha back. 

.

.

.

“Why show Joey mercy?” Stephanie asked Dick later on when they were all back at the Manor. All except Kathy and Bruce. They went to scope out the area for the marksman while also calling Gordon to come and gather the thugs.

“Slade has a knack for killing his children… without mercy.” Dick stared down at Rose's bracelet that he put on the same wrist as Bruce’s courting bracelet. “They’re all victims of his abuse.” 

Dick could still remember the childish smile on Rose’s face when she first showed him the bracelet her mother gave her. And Joey was equally childish for only being a toddler back then. 

Dick had never given it much thought but, Joey had probably been taken from his mother too. And seeing as he had Rose’s bracelet, means he must’ve found out that Slade left her behind. No matter how twisted the siblings were, they were still siblings and they looked after one another. Joey, especially, looked up to Rose and Grant. Knowing about what happened to her could’ve been the last straw. And whatever he did, must’ve been bad enough for Slade to give him the mark of betrayal.

“He’s on our side.” Dick easily concluded, turning to the group of curious onlookers.

“How do you figure that?” Stephanie questioned.

Dick held up his wrist. “He gave us a peace offering.” 


	49. Forgiveness & Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reconciliation between the Batfam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live in Texas😩😩 and I finally have electricity to post this chapter that should've been posted three days ago.

“It goes like this… many years ago...”

To Tim’s surprise, he found that Prime Dynamic’s were actually a problem for society when there were more of them around. It was sort of ‘random’ in the ‘who deserved all the authority’ aspect of life. There was a huge power imbalance between Prime Omegas and Prime Alphas simply because they could both use Orders in such a way that they held too much influence over regular Dynamics. 

“Basically, they were power-driven maniacs that chose supremacy over anything else.” Tim easily specified. “So… their bloodlines were run out by a drug very similar to the Dynamic-less drug we have today. And that’s why we have Rare Defects today.” Tim could go into the more scientific explanation of how their drug made it so Rare Defects existed but he decided to save that for another day.

“What I’ve concluded is that if Defects can somehow ‘awaken’ their internal instincts then they’d all be Prime but because their connection to that bloodline is stilted, they remain Dynamic-less.” 

Everyone stayed quiet. The only sound came from Damian’s cooing while laying on the playmat, kicking his feet out to touch the bell-embedded stuffed animals dangling above his head. Jason was the first to break the silence with the snidest remark he could think up.

“I like a nice fantasy story every once in a while.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “It’s not a fantasy story, Jay.”

“So it’s not because Dick was given a double dosage of the Prime Enhancer?” Stephanie asked. “It’s just their nature that both Prime Alphas and Omegas could use Orders?”

“Exactly,” Tim replied. “There were some cases where not even Prime Alpha’s had Orders but that was rare.”

“Some Prime Alphas don’t have Orders,” Dick muttered to himself out loud.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Dick,” Tim advised before continuing to unravel the other things he’d found. Because Prime’s were essentially a stronger Dynamic, they couldn’t be instinctively affected by regular Dynamics. Case and point, Dick’s lack of awareness of Bruce being his soulmate even though they were still soul bonded.

“What about mating?” Dick asked, becoming worried.

“We can still mate with regular Dynamics.” Tim clarified. “Thing is, Dick would have to be the one to bite Bruce instead.”

“What do you plan on doing about this, Tim?” Stephanie wondered. “Are you still thinking about helping Rare Defects get a Dynamic?”

“Yeah, I am.” Tim understood the undesirable influence Primes had over regulars from having seen it first hand. The chief example being a Primes outrageously strong scent and irregular feral behavior. If it wasn’t a problem to regular Dynamics, then Damian wouldn't have to wear a collar.

“I think I can do it without making them all into Primes. I think I can make it so that they’re regular, but I’d have to create an entirely new formula.” And that meant that Tim would have to study a willing participant; namely a person with a Rare Defect. 

He didn’t say that out loud simply because he didn’t want Jason thinking he was up for using people as “lab rats” when he knew that wasn’t the case. It was obvious that in order for things to pan out successfully, whether Jason agreed or not, Tim would have to examine a _live_ person. 

“Bold move.” Stephanie pointed out. “I’m still a bit worried about how all of this will work out. What if someone tries to stop you?”

Tim scoffed. “Who’s gonna stop me? The government?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“Curing Rare Defects would gain me public favor,” Tim said as if it were common sense. “If I get enough support, there’s no way in hell the government could kill me off without everyone taking notice. Plus, Dick is living proof that my previous Enhancer works. With that, I’d have support from all over.”

“You’re a mad man, Tim.” Stephanie praised. “I can’t wait to see what’s in store for you in the future.”

“More attention than I can bear.” Was all Tim could think about. Perhaps in time, he’d get used to it.

“Well, that’s enough for me tonight. Good talk.” Jason lazily stood up from the couch, making his way into the kitchen without looking back.

Tim watched him go, expression dulling, mood plummeting. _Did he say something wrong?_ He knew Jason said he wouldn’t support his research but that’s only because he was being full of himself. Tim didn’t think he was being conceded at the moment. _Was he?_

“What’s his problem?” Stephanie questioned.

“He’s probably getting something to eat. You should too.” Dick encouraged Tim in an attempt to quell the situation. In response, Tim nodded and slowly followed after Jason.

“Well, guess I should get going then,” Stephanie said, watching Dick pull Damian off the playmat to lay him on his shoulder. The only reason she was still here was to wait for Kathy and Bruce to report in. And since they already had— and were downstairs at present— she didn’t think she needed to overstay her welcome.

“It’s almost 2 a.m.” Dick pointed out, shushing his whining pup. “You’re free to stay the night if you want.”

“That’s great,” Stephanie let out a breath. “I didn’t think I was going to make it if I had to drive while I was _this_ tired.” She huffed as she pushed herself up from the couch, stretching a bit. “I’ll leave early in the morning and before I forget... Bette’s outside. She rode with me if you remembered?”

“...I’ll deal with it.”

“Don’t kill her, alright?”

“I won’t.” Dick gave a small smile, watching the alpha navigate her way down the hall and towards the stairwell. Letting his smile drop, he looked towards the hallway that led into the kitchen. He heard Tim and Jason’s muffled voices and made sure they wouldn’t make a sudden appearance before heading towards the front door. 

Before long, he found Bette sitting at the top step, distracted by her cell phone enough to not notice Dick’s presence.

“Steph’s staying over.”

She jerked up in surprise, briefly looking over her shoulder before standing. “...Okay... I’ll call myself a taxi.” 

Dick nodded, staring at her a bit longer before sighing, tenderly rocking his pup, who was refusing to go to sleep. “Did you see the video?”

Bette awkwardly looked at the black screen of her phone, “Just now... I did. Kat sent it.”

“What’s your opinion of me now?” Dick readily confronted.

Bette briefly glanced at the pup in Dick’s arms before averting her eyes. “...Just go ahead and call me an idiot.”

“My pup could’ve died because of your stupid decision.” Dick sneered. “I think you deserve to be called something far worse than an idiot.” 

“I’m sorry, okay?” Bette exhaled. “I can’t change what I’ve done but you can bet that I won’t make the same mistake ever again. I give you my word.” She reached out towards the babe providing a warm smile. “I’ll protect you and your pup with my-”

“Don’t ever touch him.” Dick snarled, pulling away. “And don’t ever say his name. I _don’t_ forgive you.” He outright deprived the beta of any amount of saving grace that he knew everyone else would give to her. He didn’t owe her any. She’d been an asshole to him since the beginning and this situation concluded his final judgment. Without Bette’s interference, who knew if Holly would’ve accomplished anything.

“I don’t care if you’re related to Bruce. I don’t care that the rest of the clan likes you. Just know that if something happened to Damian,” Bette didn’t dare move when Dick came into her space, looking down at her. “I wouldn’t hesitate to hunt. you. down. And I think you know what will happen after I do.” 

Bette stared into a set of eyes that had separated itself from any sort of compassion and as she did, she refused to acknowledge the chill that went down her spine.

“It's starting to rain,” Dick noted and pulled a friendly smile, moving away to the door. “You can wait in the foyer until your taxi gets here.”

“...I think I’ll wait outside,” Bette said in a hesitant whisper.

“Your choice.” 

Bette watched Dick go inside and casually, if not, blatantly locking the door behind him just as a rumble of thunder sounded across the sky and rain began to pour down in heeps.

.

.

.

“Family meeting.” Dick suddenly announced a while later.

“But I’m sleepy,” Tim complained.

“No talking back.” Dick lightly pushed Tim into the seat and ushered Jason to sit beside him.

“Alfred, you too,” Dick called for the butler who was just about to walk into the kitchen. “Where’s Bruce?”

“Still downstairs with Kat,” Jason replied just as Alfred stood next to his side of the couch.

 _Still?_ He’d been down there ever since he got back. Dick hadn’t seen him because he was upstairs checking on Cassandra and gave Damian a bath. Afterward, he talked with Stephanie but now that they were all settled in for the night, Bruce still hadn’t made an appearance.

“Alright, for now, you guys will do,” Dick said as he sat down on the floor, crossing his legs in front of the playmat. He brought Damian off to sit on his lap, leaning the back of the pup’s head against his chest. The baby instantly went to secure a fist around the pink bracelet on Dick’s wrist, cooing around his pacifier.

“Are we getting scolded?” Tim asked with a yawn. 

“No.” Dick chuckled. “I am.”

“This should be good,” Jason murmured. 

Dick idly pried the pup’s strong grip away from the fragile bracelet while staring at his family who stared back with expectancy. He practiced what he was going to say on the ride home, knowing it was best to come to terms with what he’s done. All he needed to do now was put it into words. “I… I would like to apologize to all of you- for putting you in a difficult position… with the use of my Orders.”

Tim cleared his throat, sitting up. “I, for one, never had a problem with you using Orders.”

“Shut up, Timmy.” Jason elbowed the omega in the ribs.

“Ow!” Tim rubbed his chest with a pout.

“Go on.” Jason signaled for Dick. 

Dick cracked a smile at the interaction. “I promise that I will never use Orders on you guys ever again. I never had a right to treat you all like an… object.” Dick couldn’t help but briefly remember his previous situation. “I know how that feels and… I should’ve never let the curiosity of it all take over.”

“I say, you don’t use Orders unless it’s absolutely necessary.” Tim pointed out.

Dick gave a curt nod. “Only then.”

Jason clicked his tongue, saying to Tim. “Suck up.”

“Shut up, Jay.” In revenge, Tim elbowed him in the ribs but the jab didn’t cause as much damage as he was hoping, seeing as the alpha barely reacted. Tim silently pouted.

“This is very good, Master Dick.” Alfred nodded approvingly. “But there is one thing I would like to add.”

Dick nodded for him to continue, wondering what Alfred would say.

“It’s about the collar for Master Damian, sir.”

Dick grimaced. 

“As you’ve probably noticed, I am but a mere beta and cannot, for any reason, bear his pheromones. Especially when he cries.”

“I agree.” Jason raised a hand. “When you go to therapy and Bruce is at work, Alfred and I have to babysit. And it was only until just recently that he can handle being away from you without crying.”

Alfred proceeded right afterward. “Because of that, I’m afraid to say that we’ve been using the collar without you knowing, sir.”

Dick looked off to the side, trying to find his words. “Well…”

“Master Damian is safe with us,” Alfred reassured him. “That collar will cause him no harm.”

“I know…” Dick slowly conceded, hugging Damian closer to his chest. “Only… only when I’m not there to hold off his scent, can he wear the collar.” Be that as it may, Dick would also have to apologize to Dr. Dundee for discrediting his effort.

Alfred grinned. “I can make do with that for now, sir.”

“Alright then,” Dick said, standing up. “Hugs everyone.”

“Can I say one more thing before I’m forced to do the mushy stuff?”

Dick laughed softly. “Go ahead, Jason.”

“Since everyone’s apologizing, I wanted to go ahead and say I’m sorry too…”

“You already apologized earlier, Jay.” Dick understood without Jason having to explain. “And like I said before, I wasn’t offended. You were right, I wasn’t taking anyone else's feelings into consideration.” He gave Jason a warm smile. “I just hope one day I can earn the same amount of devotion that you have for Bruce.” 

Jason quirked with a smile, joking around, “We’ll have to see.”

“Now,” Dick shifted Damian to the crook of his left arm, opening up his right one with a bright smile. “Hugs everyone.”

Jason was the only one that groaned while Tim and Alfred gladly did the honors of huddling into an embrace. Though Dick felt happy at the moment, there was still someone missing...

Dick broke away from the group. “Tim, do you think you can watch Damian tonight?”

“Why me? Alfred’s right here and…” Tim didn’t have to look at the butler to know he was giving Tim ‘that’ look. “Or not…” He murmured, sighing. “Fine.”

“I owe you one, Timbers.” Dick kissed Damian on the cheek before handing him over to Tim.

Frowning, Tim watched Dick head in the direction of the elevator until he was out of sight. That’s when Tim held the pup an arm’s length away, his legs kicking about as he stared wide-eyed at the omega. “Why the heck aren’t you asleep already?”

“It’s your job to put him to bed, Master Tim,” Alfred said while retreating. “I’m retiring for the night. You boys get some rest.” 

Jason followed after Alfred, but not before taunting Tim’s predicament. “Good luck.”

Tim groaned when he was left alone, finally having a look at the pup who he hadn’t seen since February. “How the heck did you get so big?” He brought the baby to his shoulder, arms cradling his bottom as he headed to the stairs. “You better not cry tonight or there’ll be hell to pay.”

.

.

.

“It’s as if she was trying to find everyone's source of pain just so she could... use it against them.” Kathy stared at the paused video, reminiscing on all the signs she chose to look over.

“I wish you would have told me what she'd been doing to my son’s,” Bruce grumbled in a low voice.

“I’m sorry, Bruce. If I could go back and change things, you know I would.” The conversation came to a halt when Dick made his presence known. Kathy looked up, seeing the Prime omega walking away from the elevator, his eyes set on Bruce. “We’ll talk later. I’ll leave you two alone.” 

Kathy left Bruce, stopping in front of Dick with a sad smile. “How are you?”

“Good. Thanks for tonight.”

Kathy shook her head, giving Dick a sincere look. “That was nothing, I would’ve done anything to get your pup back to you… Also, I wanted to let you know that I’m here for you if you need anything.”

Dick smiled back. “Thanks.”

“No need to thank me. We’re all family here.” Kathy abruptly pulled Dick into a hug, surprising him. “I can’t say I’ve experienced all that you have but, I’d be willing to listen to you if you allowed it.” The omega pulled back, gripping Dick’s shoulder with earnestness. “Call me if you ever want to rant…”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Go easy on him,” Kathy whispered as a parting, giving Dick a shoulder pat before stepping into the elevator.

Dick took a deep breath, quietly striding towards his mate. Bruce didn’t look up when he entered his space, he stayed still, head in one hand, frustration seeping through his scent. He felt the need to console him but thought it better to talk first. They haven’t in a while and despite the circumstances, Dick wanted to clear the air. 

“Hey.” Dick leaned against the table, looking down at Bruce. 

“How’s our son?” Bruce asked right off the bat.

“Damian’s good. I couldn’t keep him still while giving him a bath. I think you do a better job at it than me.” Dick laughed softly, stopping short when Bruce gave no reaction. He scolded himself internally for that- how he always turned to jokes to lighten the mood. He'd been told by everyone in the house how he didn’t keep situations serious and yet he continued doing it

“I’m sorry…” Bruce’s words broke Dick away from his thoughts.

“...For what?”

“For what… _she_ did.”

Dick held his breath as an influx of despondent emotions entered his chest. Bruce adhered to a wrathful and miserable set of dispositions that threatened to affect Dick’s mood fully if he didn’t accept them as they were. His alpha had been betrayed and the only thing Dick could do was watch as he processed that reality. 

“Show me.”

Bruce looked up, his gloomy expression broken in places at the raise of his brow. “Did you not already see?”

“I remembered,” Dick stated. “Going there triggered my memory. But it was only bits and pieces... I want to see the video.”

Bruce hesitated.

“I can handle it, Bruce,” Dick reassured and as it turned out, he _could_ handle it. Just like he did with the video where Rose killed Selina, he acknowledged his younger self as the doll Slade wanted him to be. None of the motions he made before Selina came into view were his own. He was completely under control and it looked as though he’d long since welcomed it as normalcy. 

Dick tracked the other figure entering the screen, seeing Bruce turn away from his peripheral. Dick didn't dare turn away, he watched and listened to Selina sneer at him. Like he told Jason, he didn’t know his age back then. Sometimes he went years without knowing which is probably why he reacted so shocked when he heard Selina say it. The one thing he wasn’t surprised by was his desperate need to die. 

Having been ordered to never harm himself had him wishing that something life-threatening would happen to him. Anything, _anything_ to stop the pain. Not knowing why Selina was mad at him back then, he saw the chance of his oncoming demise and took it. Still, seeing himself that way made Dick nauseous and he couldn’t bear to watch it any longer.

Dick leaned forward to stop the video, letting out a breath as he did.

“I’ve met her once before that…” Dick said, recalling his very first memory where he couldn’t see the person’s face. “It was one year after I’d been kidnapped... she said I was valuable but…” He gave a bitter laugh. “Guess now it makes sense.”

“You were too young…” Bruce responded.

“I was… Did you ever suspect her?”

“No, not when it came to you…” Bruce took a deep breath. “I should’ve known. If I’d just looked further- past all that she’d done for me… I would’ve seen. I should’ve seen... I chose not to.”

Dick listened as Bruce let everything out.

“She was pregnant and she died just like that. That’s what held me onto her for so long; _so damn long._ But she... wasn’t even… she lied to the point where I regretted even trying to find you because of how angry she would get. And her going out of town was always a sensitive spot for me. She’d send letters but… she never fully explained what she was doing there. I let it go because I wanted to trust her as much as she trusted me.” 

Bruce brought a clenched fist to his mouth, eyes narrowing. “I was a fool. I wasted so much _damn_ time in that relationship. I hurt Jason and Tim in the process... and you. All those things I said about her to you. All those fights we had, all those- ”

“Bruce stop, don’t hurt yourself.” Dick unfurled Bruce’s fist, seeing red marks where his nails dug into. He blew at the red-sensitive skin, whispering softly, “Jason and Tim forgive you; we all do.”

“No, I can’t…” _Forgive myself,_ was left unsaid. “I couldn't even protect our child.”

“You did everything you could to protect our pup.”

“Not enough.” Bruce shook his head in denial. “I’m incompetent-”

“Hey, hey, look at me.” Dick bent to his knees, holding the alpha’s hands in his. “My Alpha is not incompetent. You did good because _I say_ you did good and that’s all the approval you’ll ever need. What happened with Holly or Selina wasn’t your fault. I would never blame you for something like that. ”

Bruce settled a hand over Dick’s, kissing the palm of it as if to pacify the omega before speaking his woes. “I think I need some time… days alone.”

“Bruce, don’t do that. Stay with me.” This was the time for them to be close after almost losing their pup. Dick wanted nothing more than to be with his Alpha all night. “Bruce-”

“I can’t right now, Dick.” Bruce readily rejected. “I won’t be gone long just a few days.”

“We’re not doing this anymore- running away from things.” 

“I can’t be around my family like this, I need space and-”

“Bruce, Alpha,” Dick chose to seat himself on Bruce’s lap, legs on either side of his thighs. “You’ll stay with me and we’ll get through this together.” He brought their foreheads together, held his cheek, whispering, “I’ll comfort you- we’ll comfort one another for as long as it takes us to get through this.” 

Bruce exhaled, eyes still doused in anguish but at least he wasn’t trying to leave anymore.

“Depend on me, Bruce.” Dick laid his head on the alpha’s chest, breathing in his scent. “Depend on me and I’ll make the pain go away… I promise.”

This was something they needed to do. Something that Dick said he would do but decided to go against everything and be selfish. He hated how he realized this stuff after drastic situations.

“I’m sorry too. About what I said at the hospital situation… what I said.” He said in the heat of the moment, wanting to distract Bruce’s retreat even further.

“If me being your soulmate was holding you back all this time, you could’ve just told me so.” Bruce interrupted with a sudden rush of sadness that seemed to have been held in up until now. 

Dick pulled back, looking down at his alpha. “I know I hurt your pride by saying that.”

“It was more than just my pride, Dick.” 

Dick averted his eyes, twisting the collar of Bruce’s shirt. “When I said that I felt free from you, I didn’t... I didn’t mean it in that way.”

“What other way is there?” 

“What I meant was... that a lot of things could have been avoided if I wasn’t connected to you at all. The unnecessary emotions and pain… All of it just kept piling up and it was honestly stressing me out.”

Bruce didn’t speak, causing Dick to proceed.

“I like you, Bruce. I want to be with you. I really do.” Dick practically begged Bruce to understand. “What I feel for you has nothing to do with that fated connection. What I feel right now matters more to me than us just being soulmates.” He guiltily touched the glands on the back of Bruce’s nape and released a placating scent. “I’m sorry for hurting you. I won’t ever say something like that again.”

“You amaze me,” Bruce allowed himself to smile, just a tad. “I didn’t expect you to apologize.”

“Considering how long it took, I get that.” Dick mused. “But like I said, I am working on myself.”

Bruce glanced down, speaking softly. “Is it true that you don’t feel our soulbond anymore?”

“I can’t feel it but I can still feel your emotions.” Bruce seemed to wilt with relief at that. And Dick truly wished he could feel their soulbond like he used to. It was a joy to feel at times when he was in need of comfort. 

“I think if we bonded again then maybe, I’d feel our soulbond like I used to... I’m not ready though…”

Bruce nodded in understanding, his smile wilting. “Take your time.”

Dick took a deep breath, maintaining eye contact with his alpha. “Listen, Bruce, I know that I'm... unstable and irrational and I keep promising to change but somehow or another, I fall back into the same pattern... I can’t promise that I won’t relapse but I just need you to know that I’m trying.” That’s all he could do was to keep trying to better himself. He just hoped Bruce understood that.

With a soft sigh, Bruce uttered, “I've stayed with you all this time through your irrationalities and I’m not giving up on you now. We’ll make it work.”

Dick made it known that what Bruce had said was exactly what he wanted to hear by leaning in for a kiss. They kissed slowly but passionately. His body curved into his alpha’s as they continued exchanging those flavors that had been long lost. They could barely break themselves apart but when they finally did, Dick could have sworn he felt their soulbond trying to pull him back. Breathing heavier, he stared at Bruce’s lips, running a thumb over the bottom one.

“I missed you,” Bruce mumbled and Dick nodded, too memorized by the alpha’s lips to answer. 

“I missed you too.” Dick slipped a hand into the alpha’s hair accompanied by a soft whisper. “Don’t leave. Sleep with me tonight.”

“I will.”

.

.

.

“Leaving the baby with _me_ of all people.” Tim pouted as he laid Damian on the bed and pulled out the diapers. “What was Dick thinking?” It sucked even worse since he’d never taken care of a baby before. 

“If I remember correctly, weren’t you the main one wanting a younger sibling?”

“Yeah, that’s what Cassandra’s for. Not a stinky baby.” Tim said as he began to open the flaps of Damian’s current diaper. “Jay, aren’t you gonna help me?”

“No, I’m fine right here.” Jason purposefully made himself look busy by casually flipping through the movie app on the television.

“Why did you even come to my room anyway?”

“I figured you needed some supervision.”

“Whatever. You no good, Alpha.” Tim mumbled as he bagged the old diaper and brought out the baby wipes. 

“If we’re being honest, the look kinda suits you.”

Tim blinked, glancing at Jason who he assumed was looking at him as he said that. In the end, he wasn’t but the comment didn’t go unnoticed. “Thanks... I guess- Ah-!” 

Jason peered over just in time for the little guy to rain yellow in all over Tim’s shirt. “Ugh! You little-!” Tim moved back and swatted at the pee on his shirt with little hope of removing the stain.

Jason burst out laughing. 

“Don’t laugh! And why are you smiling!?” Tim complained, frowning down at Damian’s gummy smile. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you!?” He said as though the baby could understand him before moving away and flinging the baby wipe into the trash.

“Cute kid.” 

“He’s not cute at all!” Tim folded his arms, glaring at the squirming pup from across the room.

“Just be glad it didn’t get on the bed.” Jason moved to take Tim’s place.

“You know you’ll have to watch him while I go take a shower, right?”

“Fine by me,” Jason said, already grabbing another wipe.

Tim narrowed his eyes. “As if you can do a better job.”

Jason lifted a brow, looking over his shoulder. “Wanna bet?”

Tim took his time in the shower, making sure to thoroughly scrub every single part of his body. He even washed his hair, using a blow dryer and watching the fluffy strands curl against his neck and cheeks. He stared at himself in the mirror, trying not to flush at what Jason said about him taking care of Damian. He’s never once thought about having a kid but with Jason’s compliment, he supposed it couldn’t be that bad.

By the time Tim came out of the bathroom, Jason had Damian asleep on his chest.

“How?” Tim pointedly watched Jason gently caress Damian’s back with one hand while the other was casually behind his head. It was the picture of a perfect father and Tim couldn’t help but think about the possibilities.

“Who do you think’s been watching him while you were off at college?” Jason whispered

“What happened to the ‘I’m not babysitting’ comment you made last year?” Tim mocked him and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Jason chuckled softly while slowly sitting up. “You live and you learn.”

Tim openly watched the alpha move with the utmost care he’d ever seen him possess. He used that gentle poise to bring Damian to the portable crib and placed him on his stomach.

“You think…” Tim looked aside his eyes when Jason turned around. “You think you're gonna become a dad one day?”

“Haven’t really thought about it.” Jason settled back on the bed and seized the TV remote. “Maybe if I find a good mate, then I’d start thinking about having a family together.”

“Oh…” Tim muttered, seeing Jason settle underneath the comforter from his peripheral vision.

“Wanna watch a movie?”

“Sure.” Tim brought his legs to his chest but stayed on the edge of the bed.

On his side, Jason turned off the lamp, giving a faint laugh. “Remember when we first got here and you were scared to sleep alone?”

“Let’s not talk about that.” Usually, Tim would be annoyed at Jason for bringing up something like that but at that moment, he couldn’t find it in himself to do so. He was too conscious of Jason laying right next to him, _on his bed,_ in a tank at that. That’s why Tim deliberately kept his eyes on the TV, seeing Jason start up a random movie. 

“You wouldn’t let B or Alfred comfort you so you’d stay up all night until your body couldn’t handle it anymore and passed out.” Jason crossed his arms behind his head, letting the memories reign. “We shared rooms for a while because of that.”

Tim blushed, setting his chin on his knees. “You hated sharing rooms, didn’t you?”

“Not really. I was used to sharing rooms because of the home.” Jason looked at the TV, observing the moving figures. “I always wondered why you weren’t ever-cautious around me like you were with them.”

“I thought you were the same as me.” Tim relaxed against the headboard. “Waiting to be put back into foster care.”

“Yeah… I'm glad we ended up with Bruce though.”

“Me too.” Tim quietly stared at the TV, not really watching it. “Are… you gonna go back to your room when the movie's over?”

“And leave you alone with the pup?”

“You didn’t seem to have a problem with that before.” Tim pointed out. 

“I changed my mind. Besides, your bed’s big enough to fit both of us.” Jason patted the space next to him. “Get comfortable.

Tim’s heart beat against his chest as he did as Jason said. He slid underneath the covers, not looking over when Jason pulled the blankets over his chest. Sort of comfortable in the warmth of the blanket, Tim stayed on the edge of the bed. He remained a little stiff as he forced himself to pay attention to the movie.

When it all came down to it, Tim knew he wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight. Jason’s scent was just too attractive for him to ignore. He decided then, that he’d stay awake and enjoy savoring the alpha’s scent for as long as he could… before they separated in the morning... _going back to normal._

Tim mentally sighed. _This was a hopeless love._ They were adopted brothers and even though he knew Jason could potentially like him back, it wasn’t natural. Jason fought to protect him and in turn, Tim deemed him as the perfect Alpha. From what he could tell, Jason was being influenced also but, he would probably never acted on it because he knew this relationship would lead to nothing. Besides, if he ended up mating with someone else, these instinctive pulls would go away. 

Maybe giving up wasn’t such a bad idea after all… it’s not like he didn’t have a bunch of alpha’s trying to win his attention anyway.

“Jay?” Tim said after a while, hearing the alpha’s sleepy reply.

“Yeah?”

“About… last time...” Tim didn’t specify but Jason knew what he was talking about. “You were right. I was being conceited and… I shouldn't have said the things I said- did the things I did.” Tim bit his lip, beginning to pick at the sheets beneath him. “I just didn't want to admit that I was scared; I was afraid I did something to Dick so I tried to make the best of the situation.”

Tim went still, waiting for Jason to say anything to make his guilt go away. After a short while, Jason sighed. “Come here.”

Tim looked over, finding Jason turned on his side, motioning the omega to come hither. “Wha-”

“Over here.” Jason lifted up the covers, leaving a space open for Tim.

Tim timidly scooched over until both he and Jason were laying on their sides facing one another.

“I don’t ever want to see you lose yourself like that. Becoming a mini Rex Calabrese- a mad scientist or some shit. You’re better than that.” Jason scolded.

“I was such an asshole,” Tim admitted with a laugh but he couldn’t deny the joy in doing experiments. He liked the process, he liked seeing the final results. He’d long since accepted it as his fated calling.

“Exactly.” Jason gave a tender smile. “When have you ever not asked me for input about things? The next thing I knew, you were getting ahead of yourself and flying off the rails.”

“Yeah, I was.” Tim readily agreed, happy that Jason wasn’t as mad as he thought he was. “Does this mean… you support my work now?”

“What do you think?” Jason answered back, his smile affectionate. “Just… don’t ever change, Timmy.” 

Tim froze, feeling a hand brushing back a lock of hair that had been grazing against his cheek. He could feel his face heating up but tried not to think anything of it and keenly listened to Jason’s continuing statement,

“Stay exactly as you are. I need you to… Think you can do that for me?”

“...W-well, yeah, I will. You too… stay the same,” Tim replied awkwardly.

“Man…” Jason huffed a short laugh, removing his hand from Tim’s hair with an unmistakable uncertainty. 

“What’s wrong?” Tim didn’t know what Jason meant by the curses he spewed as he squintingly stared at him. What Tim didn’t expect was for the alpha to wrap an arm around his shoulder, pulling his head to lay on his collar bone. Tim blinked with wide eyes, “J-Jay?”

“Hush for a minute. I’m trying to… figure things out.”

“Figure... out what?” 

“Why _this_ doesn’t feel... weird to me despite us... being...”

The words didn’t process in Tim’s brain, for his sole focus at that moment was stuck on the feel of Jason’s skin against his cheek. The shock of it all left him speechless. He came to the conclusion that this wasn’t real because that would mean… “Jay? Does that mean-”

“Watch the movie, Tim.” Jason turned over onto his back, keeping the arm Tim was laying on wrapped around his shoulders as he did.

“But-”

“We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Tim silently obeyed and peered at the television, coyly scrunching up Jason’s shirt in between his fingers. He was confused and a bit dazed but at the same time, he was more hopeful than he’d ever been. Well, however this situation turned out, Tim would take it as it came. 

A silent understanding settled between them while Jason focused solely on the movie. His face was blotched with the TV’s light show of colors and the occasional shadows as the time passed on. But he wasn’t that focused on the movie to not realize that Tim had fallen asleep on his arm. He wasn’t that slow to realize that it didn’t bother him either. Despite knowing those facts, he forced himself to watch the movie to try and somehow rationalize his thoughts. 

Eventually, he gave up and gave in to the call, slowly looking down at the body squished against his side. Tim’s lips parted as slept silently, curled up against the alpha’s side, fingers latched onto his shirt. 

And when Jason couldn’t find it in himself to look away, _he knew he was fucked._

~*~

Tim walked into the kitchen, not expecting to see Bruce and Dick in the middle of a makeout session.

“Guys, this is a public area!” He screeched, covering his eyes just as the couple quickly separated.

“Sorry, Tim.” Dick quickly jumped down from the counter with a bashful smile. “Morning.”

“It’s 1 o’clock.” Tim deadpanned, leaving the kitchen with an empty stomach due to a lost appetite. On the way out, he ran into Jason. “Don’t go in there.”

“Why?”

“Old people having made up and now they’re acting like horny teenagers.”

Jason cringed. “How ‘bout we go out to eat?”

“O-okay!” Tim said, a little too excited. “I’ll go get dressed.”

Watching the omega go, Jason smiled, shaking his head. Turning to the kitchen door, he cracked it open and yelled through the crevice, “I put Damian in the music room with Cass!”

“Thanks, Jay!” He heard Dick say.

When Jason left, Dick just barely managed to escape Bruce’s next kiss.

“Come on, big guy.” Dick receded, staring up at the smirking alpha. He understood Bruce's need to touch him. They’d literally been touched starved of affection for months now. And as soulmates, it was no wonder they were all over each other. As much as Dick wanted to make up for lost time, he had children to take care of. 

“I think I heard Alfred calling you anyway. You should go see what he wants.” Dick patted the alpha’s chest, seeing him sigh. “Later, kay?” He promised, giving the alpha a chaste kiss on the cheek before walking towards the fridge. 

Now focusing on anything other than Bruce, Dick could hear the soft tune of the piano keys working together to create a beautiful hymn. He smiled in appraisal as he hurried in warming up a bottle of milk in hopes to catch Cassandra in the middle of her performance. Luckily, he finished soon, making his way to the music room. He paused at the doorway, finding the young alpha alone, tentatively gliding her fingers across the piano keys.

She was humming. 

Cassandra was humming along with each key she played. ‘A warm-up exercise’, Alfred called it. The butler also informed Dick of the more linguistic explanations as to why this was a good method. Humming the tune of words and songs without any of the consonants or vowels helped with noises that were akin to the tone of attempting the actual words. He also mentioned something else about rhythm and accent preparation for when she started to speak properly.

This was mostly a form of encouragement on Alfreds end, seeing as Cassandra was a little reluctant in trying to talk. She was shy and almost… afraid. Similar to when she used to cover her mouth when she laughed. Whatever happened to her must’ve discouraged her from making any sort of sound. Dick was glad that she was at least able to do this.

Something black caught Dick’s eyes as it jumped on the loveseat where Damian’s carrier sat. 

“Shoo.” He told the kitten, gently placing it on the ground and it wandered off to Cassandra’s stool. Shaking the bottle, he sat down, removing the pup from the carrier. He could hear Cassandra pause in her innuendo, signifying her finish and Dick clapped. “Good job, Cass. You played it without Alfred’s help today.”

“Mhm!” She beamed.

“Play the next sheet.” Dick encouraged. “I want to hear that one too.”

“Mhm!”

She swapped pages just as Damian’s frustrating sniffles began. “Alright, alright, Dami. You hungry?” His pup knew when his meal was within reach. He was a greedy little thing when it came to feeding time. Dick often switched between formula and breast milk because it was easier for him that way. He didn’t produce enough milk to pump into a pitcher. At most he could nurse Damian once a day. Usually, bedtime was when he did it, so for now he’d settle for a bottle.

“There we go.” Dick settled back against the couch, running his fingers through Damian’s hair. He didn’t have to look up to know that Bruce was at the door. The alpha’s emotions said it all. He found appeal and affection at Dick nurturing their pup. Although he'd seen it plenty of times before, he’s never made his affection known until now.

“You look beautiful like this.” Bruce’s voice appeared closer than Dick expected. The compliment was followed by a soft kiss on the omega’s temple which was then followed by a kiss on the cheek. Dick turned around to scold him only for his lips to get attacked as well.

“Bruce,” Dick pushed the alpha’s head away and made sure Cassandra was still focused on the piano. “I said later.” 

Bruce sighed, settling his desires for a moment as he sat on the arm of the couch. “I’ve been wanting to ask. You and… Tiger?”

Dick sighed, “Bruce, we’ve been training.” He had almost forgotten that yesterday was his night to ‘secretly’ train with Tiger. They started some weeks ago and it wasn’t as if Dick was hiding it from everyone, it's just… he didn’t feel like hearing their complaints at the time.

“I told him to keep it a secret because I know how you feel about... you know.” Dick tapered off, knowing he promised Bruce he wouldn’t talk about revenge in front of the pups.

“I’ll train with you from now on.” Bruce ruled, not as an offer, but as command built on jealousy. 

Dick rolled his eyes, deciding not to respond. It was the Wally situation all over again, except this time, Tiger was an alpha. When it all came down to it, Dick knew Bruce’s jealousy was harmless. At best, amusing. But at least Bruce training with him meant that he was up for a discussion about his revenge.

Cassandra finished again, inciting another clap, from Bruce this time before she jumped down from the bench and ran over to Dick’s side. With bright eyes, she looked at the pup before giving Dick an eager glance.

Dick knew what she wanted but decided to pose a question, wanting Cassandra to respond with as much voice as she could. “You want to feed him?” 

“Mhm.” She nodded at the same time and sat next to him.

“Gently.” He said, making sure Damian was snug in her arms before handing her the bottle of milk. She took over from there, delicately placing the bottle at his lips. Damian drank in peace, adorably staring up at Cassandra as he did.

“I’m starting to think he likes you more than me.” The main reason being, that not once has Damian ever cried when Cassandra held him. 

“Mhm!” Cassandra readily agreed.

“We’re going out to eat.” Tim suddenly interrupted by popping his head through the doorway. “Bye!”

“Wait, Tim, Jason.” Bruce trudged their way. “I need to talk with you two.” 

Tim and Jason were led to the living room, where they sat down in the same places they sat last night during Dick’s family meeting. From the look on Bruce’s face, Jason already knew what was up. Tim, on the other hand, couldn’t be more annoyed that his outing with Jason was being delayed.

“I wish you had told me how Selina was treating the both of you.”

Tim immediately threw out his prior annoyance and seriously regarded Bruce as he sat down on the ottoman.

“If you had, I would’ve done something.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Jason stated. “It’s fine now.”

“It _does_ matter. In the past, I'm sorry if I frightened you to the point where you felt like I was going to send you back into foster care.” Bruce spoke guiltily. “I never wanted you boys to be afraid of telling me anything. Especially something like this. ”

“It wasn’t you, Bruce. It was us.” Jason claimed. “What's been done to us.” Jason had been traded around multiple times. Tim hadn’t but, he was given up at the age of four and had been in foster care ever since. “It never had anything to do with how you were treating us. You’ve always been good to us.”

Despite Jason’s defending statement, Bruce still felt as though he wronged them. If he could go back to the past to change all of this, he would in a heartbeat. He should’ve never given Selina the benefit of the doubt. He should have been able to see through her ruse.

“Did she ever hurt you two?”

Tim shook his head. “No, she was just negligent. But seriously, it’s fine now. I think we should leave it in the past.”

No matter how much Bruce wanted them to explain in detail, he didn’t probe the matter any further. “I’ll drop it for now but, I want you boys to know that you can come to me for anything; tell me anything.”

“Anything?” Tim asked, subtly glancing over at Jason.

“Of course.” He offered a warm smile. “That way we can talk about it- solve it together if need be.”

Jason grinned, making fun, “You’ve turned out to be the sentimental old man after meeting Dickie.”

Bruce couldn’t help but smile back. “I take it that you don’t like it?”

“You’re good, B.,” Jason said, gesturing Tim to stand up. “We’re both good. Let’s move on.”

“I’m proud of both of you,” Bruce spoke with earnest.

Tim stood to his full height. “Of course you’d be proud of me… as your favorite child.”

“Knock it off, Tim.” Jason retorted. “Can we go now?”

“In a minute.” Bruce looked toward the hallway where they could hear Cassandra playing the piano again. “There’s one more thing I want to discuss as a family.”

It didn’t take long for everyone to gather together.

“I think in order for everyone to feel more comfortable; to understand each other a bit better, we need to form a pack,” Bruce announced and Dick nodded in agreement.

“Cass, too?” Tim wondered.

“No. I think Cassandra’s a bit too young. She did present earlier than normal, remember?” Plus, Dick was afraid to overwhelm her with everyone else’s emotions when she wasn’t even able to properly express herself. “Scent marking her on occasion should be enough to hold her over until she’s ready.”

“I see what you mean. Good idea.” Tim agreed. “So, how do we go about this?”

It was a tedious and messy process of everyone biting each other's wrist but the end result was worth it. They smelled like themselves but there was a distinct scent running through all of them that identified them as a pack. What no one outside of the pack would experience was the emotional connection they all had. 

Jason’s emotions rang the highest at the moment, signifying just how freaked out he was. 

“Remain calm, Master Jason,” Alfred advised before passing around a few towels.

“This shit feels weird,” Jason claimed. “I can’t tell who’s emotion is who’s.”

“You’ll get used to it.” Tim's heart swelled at being able to feel Jason’s emotions so vigorously. “You’ll learn to hide your emotions too.”

“Hopefully soon.” Jason backed away finding that distance really did matter. He also found out how easy it was to identify the strongest Dynamic among them. Though Bruce’s pheromones rang true to his calling as a leader, it was obvious that Dick and Tim had something else placing them above everyone else. Especially Dick. If Jason were to appoint him a title, he’d say the Prime Omega felt, imposing but... dignified at the same time., like a prince.

“Are we going to add the clan members too?” Jason asked as he wiped off his wrist.

“If Dick wants to.” Bruce left the choice up to his mate.

“I wouldn’t mind,” Dick said. “But we should wait a while so we can get used to it.”

“Thank God.”

Dick laughed at Jason’s dismay, letting his eyes roam around every member of his family. _How could he have ever let himself treat them as bad as he did?_ Well, no matter. If he could help it, he’d avoid doing anything like that ever again. 

It truly felt as though they were closer than ever now. Being this open and emotionally vulnerable would take some getting used to but Dick knew they could handle it. For the sake of their happiness and being in harmony with their pack’s natural connection, they would have to be prepared to protect one another. And Dick, he would have to learn to depend on each and every one of them, so that one day, they may be at peace.


End file.
